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 1626 to 1650 of 5000 results

1626. A Commitment to Hope

Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... times she had been rejected, she had to ask, “But why me?” With that the woman smiled and then slowly reached down and pulled her floor length dress up enough to reveal her own malformed foot. Then with reassurance and understanding she said to Alice, “Today, we want you to be our child. Please, Alice, let us love you.” That is just like God. In Jesus He has come to identify with our pain, hurts, struggles and failures. He knows the joys of life as well as the temptations. In the Bethlehem stable he ...

1627. Jesus' Tears

John 11:32-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... one went to the emergency room of the hospital and had to wait forty-eight hours for the doctor to show up and treat you? You would be outraged. If a loved one died while waiting two days for the doctor we would be more than outraged, we would probably want to sue the hospital. We are given a clue, though, that something extraordinary is about to take place. We read that when Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill he said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may ...

1628. Seeing Is Believing

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... And we begin to “see” with our mind’s eye, with our spiritual eye. The more we trust in Jesus’ presence, in Jesus’ power, in Jesus’ identity, and in Jesus’ mercy and compassion, the more we will feel his healing in our minds, hearts, and bones. Today, I want you to close your eyes and really see Jesus. Feel him around you, feel his love for you and his boundless mercy. See his light and feel his warmth encasing you. Know the power of his healing touch. [Pastors, if you are open to it, this may ...

1629. Touchdown in the Wilds

Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... and year to year, a renewal of our spirit. Just as that drop of water reverberates through the pond, God’s salvation energy reverberates through each and every one of us reminding us that God is near, God is active in the world, God is making change, and God wants to make that kind of change within us. Just as in our baptism, we commit ourselves to God, repentance is a time when we remember our baptism and in a time of communion with God, we recommit our lives to Jesus. In a sense, God gets in touch with ...

1630. Beware! Angels

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Will Willimon

... who surprised Mary telling her that, even though the world regarded her as lowly, God was going to enlist her in the salvation of the world -- I hope that your light be given the grace to respond like Mary: ''Lord, I don't know exactly what you want me to do, but here I am, ready to be used in your service.'' NOTES: ''In the plastic arts these symbols have steadily degenerated. Fra Angelico's angels carry in their face and gesture the peace and authority of Heaven. Later come the chubby infantile nudes of ...

1631. Have You Seen a Buck Flying Past?

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... you to understand that whatever you desire most becomes your master. And that the master you serve will shape the legacy you leave. What if tonight God came to you and asked, “What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management. . .” Don’t you want to know how God could use you if you committed yourself fully to His purposes? If you do, then I encourage you to take that step today, to commit your life to Jesus right now and to let this new commitment shape every part of you. You will ...

1632. Fear and Blessing

Psalm 128:1-6

Sermon

Will Willimon

... . I've come to turn father against son, mother against daughter…” Sometimes it's like that for mothers, Mary discovered. Much joy, yes, much blessing, yes, but also pain. As a pastor I can tell you: Don't get yourself into Mary's condition if you don't want any pain as a mother or father because it seems to come with the territory. “Blessed is every one who fears the LORD,” says the Psalmist. How odd that fear should intrude itself into our thoughts of families and children. Yet there it is. It is a ...

1633. The Dare Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... whim. Or we pray in earnest fully expecting God to give us the answer we have already formulated in our minds that we want. But that’s not the prayer that Jesus gives us. Let’s look at it for a moment, line by line. “Heavenly Father ... honor you…” Right away, we know this is a prayer of humility. In our prayer, we do not place ourselves, our wishes, our needs, our wants, our petitions first, but we honor God first. Similar to the shema, we love God with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind (note ...

1634. Get the Grinch

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... , Office Lauren and TyLon escorted a man dressed up as the Grinch to a jail cell. The police chief Luke Thompson later told TyLon that when he turned 21, he could apply to be a real member of the police force.[1] Isn’t that a great story? Tonight, I want us to lock up the Grinch inside all of us so he doesn’t steal our joy this Christmas. The truth is, there is a Grinch in all of us. Too often, our bitterness and cynicism get in the way of enjoying Christmas. We don’t start off bitter and ...

1635. The Best Seat in the House

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... humility in this scripture, he is not saying that we should all be doormats or think nothing of ourselves and naturally navigate toward the lowest end of the totem pole because we don’t deserve better. He is saying that those who put others first, who want for others the best and who are able to celebrate others’ achievements and successes, who are secure enough in who they are to cheer on others before them and lift others up above them, those people will always feel and be blessed. This is why Jesus ...

1636. What About Me?

John 1:29-42

Sermon

John Jamison

... would just like to have a few of those questions answered. If Jesus asked, would you start with the questions? Or money? What do I want? Well, I don’t need to be a billionaire, I’m not trying to be greedy, but if I just had enough to, you know, ... because he had already here before me” doesn’t seem all that important to me at this point. Not compared to, “What do you want?” Then, I come to the line where John wrote, “It was about four in the afternoon.” What in the heck is significant about ...

1637. Shut the Back Door!

John 10:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... warmth of their companions. But by day, they need to roam the pastures, eat freely, drink water, frolic, run, explore, and play, all guided and watched over by the devoted Shepherd. To eat without being eaten! That’s a stress-free sheep’s dream! And who wants to be trapped inside day after day? Even the best sheep will get tired of each other doing that! They need a safe way to explore a dangerous world. They need a Shepherd they can trust. They follow their trustworthy Shepherd because they know his ...

1638. Dynamic Preaching January 2024 Sermons

Sermon

King Duncan

... payment on your Christmas Club account. Is your heart ready to receive the King of Kings? Prepare the way of the Lord. Store owners want us to know that there are only a limited number of shopping days left before Christmas. They don't know that the situation is ... for all people, Jew and Gentile alike. The last words of the book are some of the most beautiful in all the Scriptures. Jonah wants God to destroy the people of Nineveh but God says to Jonah, "You have pity on a gourd which you did not plant, which ...

1639. Fruit Production

Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... there were even some tax collectors there? I think it was one of them that finally asked John what he meant when he said that God wanted us to produce fruit? What kind of fruit? He asked John what we should do. Well, you know how tax collectors are, don’t you? ... t just the ones in robes he was trying to warn. I was still trying to decide if I believed he was telling us what God wanted us to hear when he started talking again. And I still remember what he said next, But one who is more powerful than I will ...

1640. Time to Light the Fire

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... might” occur! Like a patient fearing a life-saving operation, many of us today just don’t want to take the risk. We don’t want to rock the boat. We feel good and comfortable just the way we are. We want things to change. We want our churches to grow. We want our churches to flourish. We want to be a major center of our communities. We want to be a powerful force of good for the people around us. But we don’t want to go through what it takes to experience that vast kind of change, the kind of change ...

1641. Who Is This Jesus?

John 2:1-11

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... , we can see that we do not always understand what John was saying. We see groups who believe that faith in Christ means God is the Jesus in Cana of Galilee, a God of magic and miracles, a God who will do what we ask, and give us what we want, who will serve those who are true believers. We see groups who believe that faith in Christ means God is the Jesus in Jerusalem, a God of power who will identify our enemies and lead us into battle to overcome and destroy those enemies. We see groups who believe that ...

1642. The Mother of All Yard Sales

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... . The father, however, had spent his entire life building up the estate that he probably inherited from his father. It represented security and status for his heirs long after he was dead and gone. He was not about to see it broken apart and divided. He wanted to see it kept intact. So, he left it to the oldest son, according to the custom. Jesus saw that the real issue here was not about the relative fairness or unfairness of the traditional Jewish inheritance customs. It was about a man that saw his ...

1643. God Is Like...a Potter

Jeremiah 18:1-11 · 1 Corinthians 15:20-26

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

... up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:410) In these words, Jeremiah told us several things about his vocation as a prophet. First, it was not something he chose. God chose him. Secondly, Jeremiah did not want to become a prophet; he tried to beg off as being too young. Thirdly, God refused to listen to Jeremiah’s protests; instead, God promised to be with him. Finally, God reached out and touched Jeremiah’s mouth and told him God’s words would be in ...

1644. Becoming A Faithful Witness

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... and the events of that first Palm Sunday. Jesus made a triumphant entry into Jerusalem knowing full well what lie ahead. He knew the agony and the shame to which he would be subjected. Why continue? Jesus stayed on the path before him because it was what God wanted. Even in the garden, with the hour close at hand, Jesus sought communion with God. He needed the strength and the comfort of God's spirit and he needed the assurance that it was God's will he was pursuing. With that assurance he could go on to ...

1645. A Living Memorial

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... the story, the man grabbed hold of his hand and he squeezed it. His palms were sweaty and he was shaking and tears began to stream down his cheeks. When the minister finished reading the scripture, the man said, "That's me. I am the Prodigal Son and now I want to go home." And then very quietly he asked the minister, "Could I pray?" Two days later, the man died. His family told the minister they had never seen him in so much pain as he was in those last two days. And yet, they had never seen him so ...

1646. New Wine

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... , too. We are so impetuous and impatient. Why write it when you can phone or fax it? We expect instant results and instant action. After all, we have instant foods and instant drinks, so why not instant results and instant responses? We can't wait. We want people to understand now! We want people to change now! Waiting for the Lord's leading and timing is so hard, but still Jesus said to do it: "Wait for the promised Holy Spirit." Don't run ahead of God, for if you run without waiting on God, you will run ...

1647. Unusual, To Say The Least!

Amos 7:1-9, Amos 7:10-17

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... named Minnie Pearce had the lead in the senior play during her college days. She worked hard on the part, and after the performance she was startled when a strange man came up to her backstage and introduced himself as the author of the play. He said, "I just wanted to come back and tell you that I have seen this drama many times, but tonight you embodied what I envisioned for the heroine better than anyone else ever has. Tonight, you made a dream of mine come true; you gave my play flesh and blood and I ...

1648. Priorities

Luke 9:51-56

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... about fox homes. CURLY: What's that got to do with following him? MOE: I don't know. How should I know? Do I know everything? MOE: (STOPS ABRUPTLY, OTHERS BUMP INTO EACH OTHER. MOE SLAPS EACH ONE OF THEM IN SUCCESSION) Will you two get serious. I want to follow Jesus. LARRY: (RAISING HIS HAND) Me, too. CURLY: (RAISING HIS HAND) Me, three. MOE: (SLAPS EACH OF THEIR HANDS AND THEIR HANDS SLAP EACH OTHER'S FACE) Pay attention. We must have a plan. How can we follow Jesus? CURLY: (CREEPING AROUND MOE) We could ...

1649. A New Kingdom Coming

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... religious leader in print, use his words to buttress their biases. But let Jesus come alive, and you have unpredictable demands. He then is in control. He is the teacher and we are the students. He the master, we the servants. But we don't like that. We want to be in charge. We like to be the chiefs, not the Indians, and call the shots. Jesus may cause us discomfort and inconvenience. He might pin us to the wall on our discomfort and inconvenience. He might pin us to the wall in our selfishness and hardness ...

1650. Anticipation Proclamation

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

Tony Everett

... Great expectations. Great anticipations, yet there was no connection to God's will. They anticipated deliverance, right now. They anticipated the ideal Messianic Kingdom, right now. They anticipated that God as warrior-king would bring about a golden age according to their own wants and desires, right now. Success in our time according to our own definition is still a major theme in our society today. However, God had something even better in store for the people in Zephaniah's time, and for you and me. God ...

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