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 1551 to 1575 of 5000 results

1551. Come On In The Water's Fine

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... her former students visited her in her classroom. She did not recognize the young man who knelt down beside her to thank her for all she had done for him. "I have a good job, a wonderful wife, and two little girls," he told this former teacher proudly. She desperately wanted to remember who he was, but she couldn't. Over the years there had been so many students that she lost track. He told her, "I came to tell you that I graduated from high school because of you. I knew you loved me when I was your student ...

1552. Chosen

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... it's for the pickup softball game or dodge ball team or family. It felt awful growing up, feeling like I didn't belong and wasn't wanted. You see, I grew up knowing that my mother and father divorced when I was nine months old. I never saw my biological father again. Never had ... that I do and don't do, just how much I love her. I blow it a lot. I don't always do what she expects or wants. But she knows how much I love her and I know how much she loves me. And that makes all the difference. And I didn't think ...

1553. There Will Be Peace

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... upset because some folks are taking my name out of the season . . . How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate my birth, just get along and love one another! “Now, having said that, let me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting my birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen ...

1554. Totally Poured Out

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... But if you got a chocolate chip cookie that had only two chips, two chocolate chips in it, you knew it wasn’t my mother’s, and from that simple lesson I’ve taken the principle that everything we do has our own personal signature on it, so we want to do it the best we possibly can.” (1) That’s a pretty good philosophy. Put your personal stamp on everything you do. In every worthwhile thing you do, give your very best. St. Paul put his personal signature on the New Testament and upon the burgeoning ...

1555. It Is Your Choice

Matthew 4:1-11

Illustration

Robert Bachelder

... says to him: "We prefer to do things comfortably." Savage rejoins: "But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin." Many people think of God as a kind of cosmic Mustapha Mond or ... picture of God which reveals that his preferences are like those of Savage himself, a picture which suggests that God does not want easy comfort for his creatures, but prefers freedom, goodness, and sin. This picture is drawn, for example, in the Revelation of St ...

1556. Save Me, Lord

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... me Lord!” Or Please, God!” Or “Why did you let this happen to me, God?” Or when the wind blows and the waves bash, is your first prayer “Thank you Lord for being beside me now.” Instead of pleading “Please, God!” do you offer a faith that wants to please God by trusting in the unwavering presence and matchless power of the Master? When you “walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” can you say with the Psalmist, “I will fear no evil: For thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff ...

1557. A Whole City at The Door

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... long and hard at his statement about his ministry and its purpose. I can't tell you how many hundreds of conversations I have had with people over the years about the things the church ought and ought not do in order to fill the pews, to get people to want to come out to church. More of this sort of music, less of that, more pizzazz, less dogma and doctrine, more entertainment, less preaching and teaching. I've heard it all, and I've heard it a hundred times. Then I look at the example of Jesus in this ...

1558. The Elephant in The Living Room

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

John Smylie

... matter what the circumstances of the death may be, because at some level, death is not the intended consequence for any of us. Resurrection is the intended consequence. If the disciples were able to listen, to move beyond the part of the truth that they didn't want to hear, had they been able to receive the words of Jesus' suffering and death they would have heard him say, "and after three days rise again." The Son of Man's rising to life again was beyond their capacity to understand. In order to get there ...

1559. The Final Exam

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Steven Molin

... disciples wondered. "Humanly speaking," Jesus answered, "it is impossible. But with God, all things are possible." Let's review: The young man wants to gain God's approval and go to heaven, but how can he be certain? Follow the commandments. Been there, done that, ... here's the loophole: The man was asking Jesus what he could do to gain eternal life, so Jesus gave him the answer. "If you want to do something, here's what you can do. But there is another way!" The whole of scripture tells us that we do not ...

1560. Flesh and Spirit

Romans 8:12-17

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. (Romans 7:15-20) In a world dominated by addictions and compulsive and impulsive behavior, in a world always being ... our existence as we are taught to turn to the idols of the world in order to cope with our dependence and our separation. I want to share one more example of this process. As we all have come to know, the church in today's world talks about sex all ...

1561. The Need for Transformation

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... ate a hot dog he had purchased at a local vendor. As he approached a street corner, he encountered a homeless person who asked him for money for food. He ignored the request and continued to walk. As he was heading back to the office he decided he wanted a little dessert. He stopped at a pastry shop and bought himself a chocolate éclair. As he was leaving the store, a young boy came racing down the sidewalk on a skateboard. The man jumped out of the way and, in the process, the éclair fell to the ground ...

1562. The Place beyond Punishment

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... and I know that there are at least three perspectives on the passion story, the one that spills the wine of Jesus for some reason or another. One is the atonement, now widely theogically discredited, which comes from the family that punishes the spill. God wanted Jesus to suffer to save the world. We'll go into that story more in a minute. The other is the inevitability of love being connected to pain — when we love something, we open ourselves to hurt. This is the relationship or I/thou interpretation ...

1563. Do You Know Your Place?

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... class” to sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty? –-Do you think it is “second class” for you and God the Father, the Creator of the Universe, to be wholly united in mind and spirit? –-Do you think it is “second class” to want “your place” to be a place of sanctuary and salvation, preserved and protected by the power of Christ’s grace and love? –-Do you think it is “second class” to be saved from sin, called to ministry and commissioned to a mission in the world . . . in ...

1564. God Can Turn Your Trash Cans into Treasure Chests

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... you got it! What do mushrooms grow in? What makes them so succulent and tasty? Well, you know what their roots are planted in, right? I want to challenge you to go to your local fish market and ask the guy behind the counter for a sardine. They will laugh in your face ... to school the first day her mother put her in a cute little pink dress. She showed up at school and the teacher said "Thelma, I want you to stand right there by your seat. You are not to sit yet." And so Thelma stood by her seat as the rest of ...

1565. This Fellow Welcomes Sinners

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... we start marking our journey in the lines around our eyes and in our faces. Let's treat each other, sinners all, like old friends. We may not like prodigals and they may even make us a little afraid. When Jesus healed the Geresene demoniac they wanted him out of there — the demoniac was scary enough — but a redeemed crazy man, one who was sane and whole, now revealed as their neighbor, once lost and now found — they were going to have do something about him. Before, they could skirt the graveyard and ...

1566. Holy Ground

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... , a romanticized version of a past that never existed. There was nothing good about slavery, yet time and again they would lose sight of that bleak existence and make it sound like nothing short of heaven. Jesus lived the life of service and selflessness that he wants his disciples to share — and it is in sharing it together that we enter into the priceless life. You can't buy this stuff. But you can get it. Hospitality is at the heart of the footwashing in this story. Jesus appears as both servant and ...

1567. Don’t Be Afraid

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

... truly happy man, and his son would be saved. He asked the man for a favor and was told that he would give the king anything he wanted. The king then asked him for his shirt to give his son. The man opened up his jacket and the king saw that the truly happy, ... busy." A longer bumper sticker could read, "Jesus is coming, don't be afraid, sell what you have, give to the poor, put your wealth where you want your heart to be." That's closer to the point but it's a bit too long to be read at 65 miles an hour. Let ...

1568. Proper 9

2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30:1-12; 66:1-20, Isaiah 60:10-14, Luke 10:1-24, Galatians 6:1-16

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... and Jesus — people around this planet seek wholeness. We are so fearful when we learn that disease has invaded our bodies! We want the best a health care system has to offer and there is a price to be paid. We pray for people who ... access to health care, to wholesome food, and to dynamic relationships. We pray for ourselves as we hear the stories of Jesus, we know that we want to be on your side, one with you in our living and in our dying. Reach each of us and others with healing and hope. Where there ...

1569. What Does the Bible Really Say about Divorce?

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... we have grace. Does Jesus condemn divorced people? Is it adultery if a divorced person remarries? Well, even if you take it literally that it is adultery, remember that Jesus said that even to look upon a woman with lust in your heart is adultery (Matthew 5:28). Jesus wanted us to focus on the condition of a person’s heart, not a legalistic approach to life. And listen again to his words in John 8 to the woman who was caught in the very act of adultery, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you ...

1570. Passing the Test

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... the faith that he has already given to us. God doesn't need us to prove our faithfulness ... or else. God is testing us for our benefit and gain, so that we can better understand, appreciate, and confess the hope that is by God's grace in our hearts. God wants us to pass the test ... and does everything to make that possible, even to the point of sending his only Son to the cross, so that all our F's might be forgiven. God even gives us his very own Spirit who, when the time of testing comes, will help ...

1571. The Keys to Effective Praying

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’s perspective. But God knows our needs and God will provide. A boy once said to God, “I’ve been thinking, and I know what I want when I become a man.” He proceeded to give God his list: to live in a big house with two Saint Bernards and a garden . . . ... adds, “But deliver us from evil . . .” You know He will deliver us from temptation if we ask, don’t you? If you really want Him to. Many of us, however, are quite happy to be tempted. Are you being tempted? Pray for His help. His main concern is ...

1572. Go Hard or Go Home!

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon

King Duncan

... words: “No reserve, no retreat, and no regrets.” I’m sure Jesus loved Bill Borden. “No reserve, no retreat, no regrets.” Jesus wanted his disciples to be productive. He knew what can be done with those who are ready to take charge those whose lives ... go, ‘He’s a real fan!’ If I do that in church people say, ‘He’s a fanatic! He’s a nut case.’ You don’t want to get too emotional about your faith. It’s ok about anything else but not that.” (4) I think we all can relate to that, and ...

1573. Waiting for Christmas

James 5:7-12

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... literally believed that Jesus would return any day; most certainly within their lifetime. A crisis of faith occurred when Jesus did not immediately return. That was the situation James addressed in his letter. Many of us struggle with being patient. We want what we want when we want it and do not like to wait. Elementary school teachers will tell us that the week before Christmas break the children are overly excited and can barely concentrate on their lessons as they day dream of opening their presents on ...

1574. Going Home

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Argile Smith

... . Did Moses set out to leave a legacy of tremendous accomplishment and unflappable trust in God? Probably not. Follow his footsteps in the stories about him in the Bible, and you draw that conclusion that he didn’t care that anyone would remember him. He only wanted to served the Lord by accomplishing the task to which he had been assigned. Like all young pastors, Brian had his heroes. One of them served as the pastor of a church in Brian’s hometown. Brian had watched the church grow deep and wide. In ...

1575. Nothing to Hide

Psalm 32:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... ,000. When he got it, he sent it back with a note. He told them he wouldn’t sign it until they reduced it. “I never had any problem with them about money,” Williams explained. “Now they were offering me a contract I didn’t deserve. And I only wanted what I deserved.” Back then the biggest pay cut baseball clubs were allowed to make in a player’s contract was 25 percent. Ted Williams cut his own salary by $31,250! (1) One dares wonder how many of today’s athletes would be that humble or that ...

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