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 1651 to 1675 of 2415 results

1651. A Community of Practice, Not a Community of Perfection

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... that the instrument will be practiced on hot summer days and during beautiful sunsets. Turning the instrument in means that summer is for swimming, sleep-away camps, family vacations, flexible schedules and peace and quiet. Your decision is based both on the passion of your budding musician for their instrument and on your personal preferences. For parents, on the one hand, there is the knowledge that structure and practice and commitment are all good things for a young musician. On the other hand, there is ...

1652. Jesus Christ, Superstar

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... . Jesus is nailed to the cross, he dies, and into his Father's hands he commends his spirit. His body is taken to a tomb. Curtain. Yes, the faithful complain about leaving the story there, just as when they see Mel Gibson's 2004 movie, The Passion Of The Christ. If this were touted as an evangelistic tool, the complaint would be legitimate, but it is not — this is a secular production that seeks to entertain ... and it does. Some of the music is wonderful and found great success in record sales. My ...

1653. Sex, Sex, and More Sex

Song of Songs 2:8-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... yearnings I knew quite well. These dignified and upright people - who, before my discovery, I could only imagine going to bed fully clothed - also had a love for one another that was as hungry and tumultuous as the sea. And as their lives demonstrated, passionate love for another person need not eclipse God but can enlarge a life in ways that make room for God to be manifest - something I might have missed if those letters had remained undiscovered and my picture of my grandparents had remained incomplete ...

1654. I Went Down to the River to Pray

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... around the sixth century BC, and was addressed to despairing people, exiled in Babylon, words telling of the God who comes to them, who can make what is good out of what is chaotic. Scripture gives voice to a passionate declaration that God can be trusted even against contemporary data which includes every such human experience of dislocation and abandonment: sickness, poverty, homelessness, disease, injustice, unemployment, loneliness, warfare. The opening sentence of Genesis should be read with the ...

1655. Clearing Out the Pipes

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

John Smylie

... of their exchange was enjoyable but the shallowness of the idea that God seems to care more about our consumption of cheesecake and candy than he does about our hearts is really very sad. For nearly 2,000 years, Christians have observed with deepest devotion the passion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. These verses in scripture remind us not to make a show of our religion, to offer charity with humility, to pray in secret, and to fast without making a show of it. These verses show us a method by ...

1656. Disintegration and Reintegration

Mark 14:1-15:47

Sermon

John Smylie

... to me the reason we have such a long reading today is because we have come to the heart and center of our faith. We need to hear the whole story. We need to be reminded not in part but completely of the grace and mercy and sacrifice, the passion and suffering which is our Lord's. When we read this entire passage found in Mark's gospel we meet a number of people. Right before our eyes we watch almost every one of them coming apart at the seams, disintegrating before us. The painful passage, the many verses ...

1657. This Gospel Is for Our Children

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... does this mean? First, it means that our hearts must be teachable. "Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning" (Proverbs 9:9). Children, by their nature, like to learn. They are driven by a passionate curiosity. Their minds become consumed by questions about life and about this world we live in. If you are a parent, you probably have been stumped on occasion by your children's questions. It is okay, go ahead and admit it! Tell a child a story and ...

1658. The Final Exam

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Steven Molin

... ? "I've done all the things required by the law, but is there something else, Jesus?" Jesus peered into the man's heart and saw that he loved his wealth more than all else, and that became the one thing necessary. No amount of good works, kind deeds, or passionate prayers could accomplish this; the man must choose between his wealth and his eternity. And he made his choice. People, we have met the rich young man and he is us! We make choices in our lives every day as to how we will live our lives, and there ...

1659. The Thing about Laws

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Steven Molin

... in his classic piece written 35 years ago; "Whatever Became of Sin?" And there are some of those voices right here in this very church! But others would counter with the question of author Phillip Yancy in his 1997 book, What's So Amazing About Grace? They would passionately argue that we are part of a fallen humanity and cannot honestly live righteous lives. They would remind us that Christ's work on the cross means that we don't have to earn God's love, or prove to anyone else that we're good enough. To ...

1660. The Fred Factor

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... the global impact of being raised up at the fullness of time to atone for the collective sins of the world. No, I bet he would say, "I provide you with the way back to God. I provide you with the truth about this world. I provide you life — abundant, passionate life. And I provide you the opportunity to live — to live for others. You be my hands. You be my feet. You be my mouth. You be the blessing by letting your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in ...

1661. Epiphany: All about You!

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... ? I'm going to mash up 50 Cent's vocals with Queen's instrumentals? I'm going to blog about my state of mind or the state of the nation or the steak-frites at the new bistro down the street?" Who has the time and that energy and that passion? The answer is, you do. And for seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game, Time's Person of the year is you.1 In retrospect, we should have guessed it ...

1662. Witness: More than Judgment

1 Corinthians 9:16-23

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... , and believe?" There has to be a more effective way in reaching people. Think back. Have you experienced someone with good intention witnessing to you but they just ended up doing more damage than good? If we are going to be people who live out faith passionately how do we witness, how do we share that faith in an effective and edifying way that goes beyond frightening images of hell and eternal judgment? This is important because sharing our faith is not an option. Over 1,500 times in the Bible, it says ...

1663. Eyes on the Prize

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... indicated earlier in chapter 1 of this letter, what God wants from us is gratitude, our "Yes" in response to God's "Yes" to us in Jesus Christ. Jesus emphasized again and again that what God wants from us is not our perfection but rather our passion. The goal is not goodness - that's not possible for us, anyway. The goal is rather thanksgiving and praise, an "attitude of gratitude," so to speak. Gratitude cannot be commanded - it only comes in response to our perceiving that we have received a gift. We can ...

1664. Be Careful How You Live

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around. Take money you would have spent on beer and give it to charity. Work in a soup kitchen. And think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived.1 This message certainly catches the spirit of Paul's exhortation: "Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity...." How could we each write our own resumes? How are we handling ...

1665. Interceding for Us Now

Hebrews 7:23-28

Sermon

Patrick J. Rooney

... Lord of all." The voices of all the saints down through the ages until this very day are raised into the presence of our God who lives in the eternal present. Lifting up such prayers, our Lord Jesus Christ then intercedes for us without ceasing, continually, unrelentingly, passionately before the throne of God. So are our prayers offered up to God. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord because he has said that whatever we ask in his name will be given to us. "In Jesus name we pray." This is not ...

1666. The Home Court Advantage

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... gives Christians a “home court advantage” anywhere we go. Our “team spirit” is Holy Spirit inspired. Paul declares that a Christian community is “aglow” in the spirit, zealously eager to serve the Lord. Such a “team spirit,” inspired by passion, doesn’t even require a home court to have the “advantage.” Good thing. Because genuine Christian team spirit has rarely had the “home court” advantage. Not in the centuries between Jesus and Constantine, when Christians were fuel for the ...

1667. At the Banquet...In Your Pajamas

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... some reason, and I guess pigs are my lot in life.’ How could anybody in his right mind fall in love with pigs?” asked Nicodem. “I’ll tell you something even more amazing. An infinite, perfectly holy, majestic, awesome God is passionately in love with insignificant, sinful, sometimes openly rebellious, frequently indifferent people. God loves people like you and me.” (2) What was the problem that this man’s dress was not appropriate? It couldn’t have been his worthiness or unworthiness to be ...

1668. Two Futures

Luke 2:21-40

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

... over again. Person 2: “Follow the way of truth, child, and you’ll do well,” I always said. Person 1: I want him to play baseball — be a pitcher like I was for the Twinkies. Person 2: My wife and I support him in whatever his gifts, interests, and passions are. Person 1: Kid never listens. Person 2: I listen the best I can. Person 1: I always tried to motivate the kid by telling him he could do a lot better. Person 2: “Child, you are amazing,” I discover day after day. Person 1: Kid’ll get only ...

1669. We Need Peacemakers

Matthew 22:15-22; Romans 12:18

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

... our country actually believe that our government is essentially the enemy? Listen to St. Paul's admonition to Romans: "If it be possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." (Romans 12:18) Couldn't all of us resolve to lower our voices, to control our passions, and to be civil with all persons? Let's promise God we will learn how to disagree without being disagreeable. America's fractured community needs some peacemakers.

1670. The Renewal of Life

Isaiah 43:18-25

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... next several days, the man returned each day looked at the tree, but said nothing. Finally, one day the man did speak: "I see it now, the shape that you were meant to be." And then the man began to carve. He worked day and night with great passion to see the figure come before him. The tree did not understand what was happening. He had heard over and over again that he was ruined and could never be beautiful but as the new carver continued his work, he began to sense something remarkable was happening. He ...

1671. Thanks for the Memories!

Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... of inclusion in their salvation story when they ask, "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" Of course, we were! How pitiful are the disclaimers who insist that the Jews killed Jesus! Hitler cheered the productions of the Oberammergau Passion Play depicting the Jews as sneering monsters with horns protruding from their heads. Modern Oberammergau productions omit the horns and depict only a portion of the crowd shouting, "Crucify him!" Modern textual research suggests that only some of the temple ...

1672. A Death on a Long Friday

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... Friday is good because it was a Friday that led to salvation for many. The Swedes call it "Long Friday" because he who suffered and those who loved him and watched perhaps thought the agony and torture would never end. Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of the Christ, certainly dragged out the horrendous ordeal. What made that Friday so long? There was a death that Friday. It was the death of an innocent. In his hymn, Johann Heerman, the seventeenth-century German pastor, asks, "Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou ...

1673. Dancing in Holy Places

2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... who came to this country were rough-hewn rednecks, the inventors of the log cabin, people who said "critter" instead of creature and "widder" instead of widow, who were always "fixin' to do something" and whose "young'uns growed up." As people with strong passions for what they believed and quick tempers when someone challenged them, Pentz noted that they were easy to provoke into a fight, a part of our heritage we haven't lost. But, said Pentz, "the next time you tune into a country music station ...

1674. Are You a King?

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

Are you the king of the Jews? We are familiar with that question, which is asked of Jesus in the passion story. Everyone in those days knew what a king was! We are not talking here about best sport, or Miss Congeniality — we are talking kings! When Alexander the Great was the greatest king of the then-known world, he decided to conquer all of Asia Minor. Darius, the King of ...

1675. Argument Attacks

Illustration

Staff

... John Hunter, who was a pioneer in the field of surgery and served as surgeon to King George III, suffered from angina. Discovering that his attacks were often brought on by anger, Hunter lamented, "My life is at the mercy of any scoundrel who chooses to put me in a passion." These words proved prophetic, for at a meeting of the board of St. George's Hospital in London, Hunter got into a heated argument with other board members, walked out, and dropped dead in the next room.

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