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 1601 to 1625 of 4959 results

1601. Play The Fool

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... the field and forest, too. He preached to the birds exhorting them to praise God. His favorite bird was the lark because "sister lark hath a cowl like a religious." He wanted all the birds protected from the wanton killing that so characterized his day, and he desired that people be persuaded to feed all the birds and animals on Christmas day.2 How crazy he seemed to his contemporaries. He was the laughingstock of the wise and cultured people of his day. His life did not make sense to them. He had given up ...

1602. Be Charitable In Your Judgment

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... the love of God. After all is said and done, being right is not the most important thing in the world. Being forgiven is"4 (emphasis on being forgiven mine). Be charitable in your judgment of others. Be charitable in your judgment of yourself. In the final analysis what we desire most of all is "commendation from God."

1603. Feast Days During Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... visibility, of prestige and power. David expressed the wish to build a great house, a Temple, for God. But as we hear in today's First Reading that was not to be his lot in life. David is asked to have sufficient faith that the house he desires for God will eventually be built. We know that Solomon, his son, was the one to construct the magnificent Temple as the center stage of Jewish worship. Abraham, of whom St. Paul speaks in today's Second Reading, had great faith. His supreme act of obedience with ...

1604. Heaven's Wait

Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... , nor shall it really ever be again. Of course, I suppose you could argue that that's precisely the way it was meant to be. And yet, even if change weren't part of the overall design, I suspect it would still be one of our greatest desires. After all, don't we often claim that "Variety is the spice of life"? If nothing ever changed, and every waking hour were sort of stirred together into this bland porridge of predictability, with each dull and tiresome day trailing off into the next like so many colorless ...

1605. Come, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come!

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... to believe we can ever be morally ready for one whose standard is perfection. This Advent, I invite you to think instead in terms of spiritual readiness: Live in such a way that the cry, "Pronto viene, Jesus Christo," is a natural expression of your heart's true desire for the Lord's sudden and promised return. The old Adam and old Eve fear such a return, for they know it spells their doom. But like those unprepared in the Noah story, the old Adam and Eve have been drowned -- in this case, drowned in the ...

1606. Called To Serve

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

Phyllis Faaborg Wolk

... what we do, and like the scribes and Pharisees, we try to use the most exalted titles possible. People have a longing to be regarded with respect, and that's good. God has given us unique gifts and talents to use in the service of others. But too often, our desire for respect leads to a competitive drive to be seen as superior to others. Then it's not enough to be a good and caring teacher; you need to be Teacher of the Year. It's not sufficient to be a productive and faithful worker; you need to climb the ...

1607. Be Ready!

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Phyllis Faaborg Wolk

... to do as we wait for the Lord? In the Old Testament, the prophet, Amos, tells us what not to do as we wait. Amos brings a complaint from God against the people concerning their worship. God complains against those who think they are ready, who say they desire the day of the Lord. He complains that they go about worshipping as they always have, not thinking about what their worship means. They don't notice that their worship should turn them in the direction of doing justice, of showing God's love to their ...

1608. Epiphany 5

Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

Salt is very important to life. If a person lacks salt, the hunger for it is one of the strongest desires we have. Any farmer knows how cattle will find a salt block and lick it to maintain the proper balance in its body. Salt is so valuable that in some societies it has been used as a medium of exchange, a substitute for money. In the scripture, light is often ...

1609. Sowers Of The Seed

Psalm 119:1-176, Romans 8:1-17, Genesis 25:19-34, Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... realm beyond the physical and material. B. The Overly Emotional. Some people respond quickly and easily to every appeal. They quickly flit from one interest to another which moves them at the moment. C. The Defective Will. These are led by their desires. They are distracted by the pursuit of pleasures, fame, or wealth. They have a low frustration level so that they cannot stand any deferred reward. They make no persistent commitment to anything beyond themselves. D. The Receptive Mind. People who have a ...

1610. Proper 12

Mt 13:31-33, 44-52 · Rom 8:26-39 · Gen 29:15-28 · Ps 105:1-11, 45b

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... A pearl was a scarce item. It held a place in the society of the time that diamonds hold in our society. Pearls could be used as currency. To serve as currency for trade, anything has to have certain properties. It has to be relatively scarce to make it desirable. It has to be stable so that it will not easily diminish in value over time. And it has to be small enough to be easily portable. Pearls met all of these requirements. 6. "Net." (v. 47) The net used would be a dragnet. It was sometimes attached on ...

1611. Two Sons: A Parable

Matthew 21:28-32, Matthew 21:23-27

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... events in Egypt and the Gospel lesson by pointing toward the technique of Jesus in using parables to make clear his teachings about the kingdom. Context of Related Scripture Isaiah 5:1-7 Ä The song of the vineyard. Amos 6:6-8 Ä Justice, not sacrifice, desired by the Lord. Micah 6:6-8 Ä What the Lord requires beside sacrificial ceremonies. Matthew 7:21, Luke 6:46 Ä Saying Lord, but not obeying. Luke 3:12-13 Ä Tax collectors admonished by John the Baptist. Luke 7:37-50 Ä How Jesus forgave a prostitute ...

1612. Wicked Tenants

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... to Europe and North America. 3. Prophets or Fanatics. It is often difficult to distinguish the fanatic from the true prophet. It is important that persons make the distinction. The test of the fanatic is the person who is obsessed with himself. He feeds his own desires and thirst for power and control. If someone makes a claim to being a prophet but acts contrary to the spirit of Christ he must be seen as a fanatic and not a true prophet. Unquestioning loyalty should not be given to the fanatic, no matter ...

1613. Two-and-a-Half Cheers For Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-2, Matthew 6:5-6, Matthew 6:16

Sermon

Thomas Long

... of the only audience they have left to impress -- other people. Jesus' harsh reprimand of hypocrisy, then, is intended to reclaim, not to destroy. Indeed, Jesus' scolding words are but white caps on a sea of providence. Underneath the reproach is the promise that God desires to draw near in mercy and redemption. There is an old Hasidic tale about three pious Jews who decided to travel to a distant city to spend the high holy days with a famous rabbi. They set out on their journey, without food or money ...

1614. The Way, The Truth, And The Life Style

John 14:5-14

Sermon

Thomas Long

... what human existence is all about. Arnold is his opposite, a business executive who makes his compromises and plays by others' rules. At one point in their exchange, Arnold says that he, unlike Murray, is realistic, willing to deeal with the available world. He has no desire to change the world, just to accommodate to it Arnold says that he does not consider himself to be an exceptional man; he has a wife and children, and "business is business." He continues: You cannot convince me I am one of the bad guys ...

1615. Since He's In Charge, We're In Luck

Psalm 33:4-5, 8-9, 13-22

Sermon

Robert G. McCreight

... . Amen. Call to Worship Leader: Happy are those who have reverence for the Lord, who live by his commands. People: Trust in the Lord and do good; live in the land and be safe. Leader: Seek your happiness in the Lord and he will give you your heart's desire. People: Give yourself to the Lord; trust in him and he will help you. He will make your righteousness shine like the noonday sun. (Psalm 128:1; 37:3-6) Call to Confession The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit ...

1616. Confidence To Spare

Psalm 27:1-6, 13-14

Sermon

Robert G. McCreight

... is a good reason that Mabel has done so well for so long. Confidence in many ways is STRENGTH. It's the state of mind that operates on firm footing, and consistently "leans into something." Confidence grows out of the courage to be and the desire to become. Confidence enables a person to take initiative. And as Mabel Yark so nicely illustrates, confidence is grounded in reality. Confidence is central to your outlook in life. When you have confidence you have a springboard to do many fine things. That's ...

1617. Behold The Man Who Taught By The Sea

Mark 4:1-20

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... ve been promoted. Boy, I wish you knew enough to teach me in the second grade."1 So many people who are successful are able to look back at a person who first turned on a light inside the mind, who quickened the thinking, who first stirred the desire to learn. Behind every successful person there is the teacher. Most of us can look back across the years and remember such a person. I can remember Sunday school teachers in my childhood years. I remember the songs we sang, the lady who played the piano and was ...

1618. The Mark Upon Us

Sermon

Lee Griess

... and are marked with death. Cain slays his brother, Abel, and he, too, is marked. In fact, throughout the Scriptures, there is an image, a picture of humanity, that is reflected even in our world today. It is a picture of willful rebellion against God, sinful disobedience, a desire to do our own thing, to use religion as a show, to parade our goodness in front of others and, in doing so, hide the mark of sin upon us. What we forget, however, is that no matter how proudly we parade our own goodness, God sees ...

1619. The Peace That Jesus Gives

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Lee Griess

... his name -- the Straits of Magellan), he entered into a great body of water that lay beyond, and as he and his men lifted their faces to heaven and gave thanks to God, he named the new ocean "The Peaceful One -- the Pacific Ocean." In his words this morning, Jesus desires to lead us in the same way to a place of peace. It is his hope to direct our feet and steer our lives from the paths that would lead to hell to his place of peace. "Let not your hearts be troubled," he says, "neither let them be afraid ...

1620. Wanting To Be Seen

Matthew 6:5-6

Sermon

David Belgum

... time because God is not out to get us. Rather our Creator wants to support us on our journey through life. Jesus teaches us again and again the things that can enrich our lives. When he points out pitfalls and temptations, it is done lovingly because he desires our welfare. Some consider Lent a time to give up something they like. It would be no great sacrifice to give up hypocrisy. It doesn't really do us much good anyway. And showing off and bragging about our virtues and good deeds doesn't really win ...

1621. Sermons

Sermon

John R. Bodo

... their own making. We are aware, more dimly but with far greater distaste and fear, of hundreds of thousands of drug addicts in similar flight. And we all wonder from time to time how many of our tens of thousands of highway deaths are really accidental. Unconscious desire to get away from it all is likely to play a large part in many of them. The coroner's verdict may read "accident." But I believe that the Coroner employed by God's Supreme Court changes many of these verdicts to "suicide" or "murder." But ...

1622. The Season Of Sacred Stories

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Elaine M. Ward

... intimate word to Jesus who had come to John ready to take his place among sinners and instead he received unconditional acceptance and assurance from God. "And the Spirit descended like a dove on him." And all the people rushed into the river with their needs and desires, their labels and illusions, seeking to crown him king, but because the dove was nesting there, there was no need for a golden crown. The words robed him in his mission and he rose from the waters to bring God's essence into a waiting world ...

1623. Screaming For A Reason Why

Matthew 26:36-46; 27:45-46 · Job 3:1-26

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... ?" For three years Jesus had been proclaiming the good news of God's kingdom. He had settled in his own mind, right at the beginning of his ministry, that the kind of kingdom he was bringing would not be a popular one. It would not satisfy all our worldly desires. It would not be a magical kind of thing that would protect us from real life, but would throw us in the midst of life. It would not add prestige and power, and would make us servants instead of masters. But Jesus kept hoping and praying that his ...

1624. Yearning For A Loyal Friend

Job 6:14-30 · Matthew 26:69-75

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... transformed and renewed. As the Lord turns to leave, he says to me: "Thank you for letting me be your friend. I am with you always. Love yourself as I love you." I usually, after that experience in my soul room, have a new sense of peace and a new desire to go out to other people. Will Thompson sums it up in his hymn "Jesus Is All The World To Me": Jesus is all the world to me, I want no better friend; I trust him now, I'll trust him when life's fleeting days shall end. Beautiful life ...

1625. A Love Feast

John 13:1-17, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... together to make them one as a meal. Family reunions, company picnics, food at the ballpark, Sunday afternoon dinners, the nervous first meeting of two future friends or companions over an impromptu lunch, the list is endless. Like the feeding of five thousand, God desires to bring us all together to one endless and ever satisfying banquet. That's the Agape Meal. That's the Love Feast. This was the foundation of the early church, which met daily to eat together. Rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, male and ...

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