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 1751 to 1775 of 4959 results

1751. Times Of Refreshing

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

... it. How do we do that? Peter explained that when he said, "Repent ... turn again." Ah, there's that unpopular word again. Repent. I can have my sins blotted out. But it isn't automatic. I am to reach out in the form of a self-recognition, then a desire to be different, coupled with admission of my guilt, and a willingness to allow a higher power to send me off in a new direction. That's repentance. Mere remorse is not repentance. I'll always remember a haunting little story told years ago by a well-known ...

1752. Jesus: The Only Way To God?

Acts 4:1-22

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

... in mainstream Protestantism have been uncomfortable with such language for a long time, even though it's perfectly usable biblical language. Perhaps each of us would define "salvation" uniquely, depending on our life situation. John Wesley would have included in it a desire "to flee the wrath to come." This, of course, would presume a belief in hell, or some form of unpleasant afterlife. Christians are divided on that matter and we won't try to settle it here. Certainly, when one looks inward, we discover ...

1753. Rules For A Happy Life

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

... involved. There are other, better ways to solve the problems which prompt affairs. Think about the job. Does it make any sense to quit a job angrily, or to cause the kind of trouble in the workplace that will lead one's superiors to privately desire one's removal? How much wiser to be a cooperative and efficient person on the job and thus greatly improve future possibilities. In any course of action, then, ask yourself: Does this make good sense? Second: The Rule Of Sportsmanship. Is it playing by the ...

1754. A Habitat For Humanity

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Arthur H. Kolsti

... plague the social fabric of the world. If the great question of the sixteenth century was "Where can I find a gracious God?" the burning question at the end of this turbulent twentieth century is "Where can I find a gracious neighbor?" The desire for supportive community exists in all of us. Several years ago an interesting experiment involving children was conducted at the University of Louvain in Belgium. A group was shown three pictures of a birthday celebration. The first showed a child all alone with ...

1755. No Particular Place To Go

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... remained in his palace, rather bored by the whole thing. In his younger days David would have been right in the middle of the action, alongside his generals. David had a reputation for leading by example. Now a mid-life crisis struck David and he no longer desired to go to battle. He lingered at the palace with days of endless boredom. Besides he was rather secure in his position; it wasn't as though someone would challenge him. Late one afternoon, after rising from a nap, David took a stroll on the roof of ...

1756. Leaving A Legacy

1 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... for selfish things and no one would have faulted him. He could have asked for a long life, or wealth, or even popularity. He could have asked God to kill all his enemies, thus preserving peace. That would certainly have made him popular. Instead of selfish desires, Solomon's greatest concern was for the people. These were no ordinary people; they were God's chosen people. It's refreshing for us to find a politician whose greatest concern was not for his own gain but for the people he represented. The king ...

1757. Double Image

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

William G. Carter

... ," whoever they are. "Blessed are the merciful," wherever they may be. "Blessed are the peacemakers," whoever, wherever. If the blessing fits our circumstances, welcome to the kingdom! If it doesn't fit, we can put ourselves in a position to receive the blessing. If we desire a happy life, we must get out into the world and be poor in spirit. If we want to be blessed, we must become peacemakers. This is a good interpretation of the beatitudes. The problem is it doesn't work like a scientific formula. There ...

1758. Bread In Our Baskets

John 6:25-59

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... bread of eternal life, to receive what no Moses could ever give -- the eternal promised land, true life here, flowing with divine milk and honey. Giving out food for thousands was no big distribution problem for the Son of God, for God regularly satisfies the desires of every living thing. But, clearly, it was food that perishes. Even the twelve baskets that remained probably met the same fate the next day. What Jesus hoped for was that these people -- what Jesus hopes for -- is that all of us, in the front ...

1759. A Taste Of Life

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

William G. Carter

... Maundy Thursday, then you must truly belong to the inner circle of Jesus' followers. If you can survive the telling of Mark 14, then you may be worthy to remain within the fellowship of the church. Unfortunately, that has not always had the desired effect of producing committed believers. A middle-aged woman tells how she first joined a Lutheran church as a teenager on Maundy Thursday. "I had to sit through a lot of boring classes with our minister," she said. "After enduring weeks of strict instruction ...

1760. Water Won't Quench The Fire

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

William G. Carter

... trappings of tradition. He judges every religious practice that does not point to him. Beyond the rituals, the holy days, and the temple liturgies, Jesus points to himself as the One who satisfies our deepest craving. The Gospel of John claims the one human desire is to know God, to taste God, for that is the essence of life. If the primary human craving is a thirst for God, it will not be quenched through cassette tapes on human potential or self-fulfillment seminars. The heart of Christian spirituality ...

1761. How To Plant An English Garden

Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

William G. Carter

... depended upon me." Too bad Mr. Reagan didn't go on. The next entry in the journal reads, "Getting a poor start. 8:30 in the morning, still in bed singing 'Home, Sweet Home.' "1 We can understand that, can't we? Some mornings we wake in the earnest desire to take the world by storm. When we forget to set the alarm clock, we awake late after the best sleep ever. In the two parables we hear from Mark, Jesus points to the great potential in things that look passive. A farmer works hard in the field, but ...

1762. Pass It On

John 1:43-51

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... in his book The Cost of Discipleship reminds us that discipleship has a cost, a price tag. How could we ever be a disciple or enter discipleship without discipline? Bonhoeffer talks about how we have sought "cheap grace." In our desire for "cheap grace" we want to be a Christian without discipline, have faith without commitment, participate in communion without confession, and experience baptism without repentance. The results are that our Christian witness is weak and ineffective. Ron Fraser, who until ...

1763. A Hands-on Religion

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... touching an unclean object. This was an anti-traditionalistic and anti-establishment action on his part. Jesus wanted everyone in earshot to hear his direct response to a direct appeal. "I do choose! Be made clean!" Concern for human need that day overrode any desire to maintain legalistic concerns. Jesus was motivated by a deep feeling of compassion and pity for the leper. He gave no thought for his own safety and well-being. The Incurable Is Cured Look what happened that day in Galilee. A person who was ...

1764. Hate Evil

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... hunger, famine, and injustice the world over. The crises we face in the world are signs of how the world perishes. The world sows the seeds of its own destruction. Evil and demonic leadership highlight for us how people prefer to live in the bondage to their own desires rather than to live for the sake of others. In the Dark Another condition which is the same as that of the time of the children of Israel in the desert is that the world is in the dark. The evangelist says, "The people loved darkness rather ...

1765. God's Reliable Unpredictability

Matthew 24:36-51

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Notes This passage comes toward the end of Matthew's version of the "Little Apocalypse" in Mark 13 and, like its source, emphasizes the unpredictability of the expected and desired parousia, and the consequent need for watchfulness and readiness. For Advent, the passage provides an excellent reminder that, despite the reliability of God's promises, God acts in God's own good time, and therefore predictions and pronouncements about when (or, for that matter, how) God may or may not ...

1766. The Inner Demands of God's Law

Matthew 5:33-37, Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 5:27-30, Matthew 5:21-26

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... do you really expect from us? What is the "bottom line"? GRACE is the "bottom line"! GRACE means that our sincere repentance is accepted. GRACE means that you love us the way we are but you also love us too much to leave us that way! GRACE means that our desire to improve is encouraged and supported by God's Holy Spirit. GRACE means that God has crossed over all of the lines and, through Jesus Christ, has written our names into the Book of Life. Amen.

1767. God's Discrimination

Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 13:24-30

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... us. We jump at opportunities to focus upon the weakness and the evil deeds of others. We are slow to admit our own problems in these areas. We want to cover up. We want to hide from you. Keep us honest, Lord. May we reward your patience with our sincere desire to live life your way. Amen.

1768. God's Medicine of Mercy

Matthew 9:18-26, Matthew 9:9-13

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Notes Jesus' association with the despised (here, tax collectors and sinners) and his pronouncements about the need of the sick for a physician and God's desire for mercy all direct the reader's attention to the point that God's interest is not in the self-righteous (who may also be termed "the supposedly-righteous"), but to those who need God's "medicine" of mercy to make them "well." Liturgical Color Green Suggested Hymns Oh, For ...

1769. Ash Wednesday

Mark 1:1-8

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... we do not want to be uncomfortable while we do it. We love you when it is easy, but we betray you when love demands sacrifice.We love those who love us, but not always. Often we abuse and step on others to satisfy our desires and achieve success. Many of the politicians we elect reflect our sinfulness, as they protect themselves and neglect our nation. We have murdered native peoples to take their possessions, and now repulse other immigrants to protect our spoils.We have raped our environment for profit ...

1770. The Wisemen

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... homestead for them until after the census was taken. The young woman came over and also welcomed them. "How is it that you are here?" she asked. Caspar responded, "We scholars are accustomed to pursuits that bring life to its highest value. Our curiosity and desire for resolution of data before us draws us to search out that which is true and that which helps all others." Balthazar went on, "Our different fields of study pointed to the grave need for and the unique possibility of a new kind of leader, one ...

1771. Peanuts For Breakfast

Romans 14:1--15:13

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... , my route to helping the children discover the meaning of the text was already planned, so I followed it despite the unexpected turn events had taken. It is the nature of grace that following my intuition, what my heart said was right, did, in fact, accomplish the desired objective. As soon as the children have come to the front of the sanctuary, I ask how many of them went to the breakfast that morning. Virtually all of them raise their hands. "I wonder if you all had the same thing to eat," I continue ...

1772. Count On It!

Hebrews 11:1

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... walnut tree. Lesson: Faith, trust, change. Holding up the walnut leaves I've brought, I ask the assembled children, "Does anyone know what kind of tree these are from?" "Eucalyptus," Jerry suggests with a broad grin. He's one of the older children. I recognize his desire to emphasize that fact with his use of a strange, big word. "Now that's a clever guess," I respond. "In fact, I think the eucalyptus tree does have leaves similar to this; but these are not eucalyptus leaves." "Pine!" Mike then offers. He's ...

1773. The Poor In Spirit

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

John A. Terry

... , "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles." It is not those proud of themselves and their accomplishments who will inherit the kingdom, but those who rely on God. To be poor in spirit, we empty ourselves of all desire to exercise self-will. We let go of preconceived ideas of God's will and way. To be poor in spirit, we discard ideas of our own goodness and spiritual self-sufficiency, or any other thing that stands between us and God. This is entrance into a life ...

1774. Those Who Mourn

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

John A. Terry

... Lord who died, died for us ... for you, for me, for mother, and for all people. He died not because of any death or darkness in him, but only to free us from the death and darkness in us. If the God who revealed life to us, and whose only desire is to bring us life, loved us so much that he wanted to experience with us the total absurdity of death, then, yes, there must be hope; then there must be something more than death; then there must be a promise that is not fulfilled in our short existence in ...

1775. The Persecuted

John 15:18-27

Sermon

John A. Terry

... Garden of Gethsemane knowing he faced the cross, he asked to be delivered from physical suffering: "Father, if it be possible, let this cup (of suffering) pass from me" (Matthew 26:39). Jesus accepted suffering when it was forced upon him, but he never sought or desired it. When we try to be the best Christians we can, but find ourselves being reviled and persecuted, having all kinds of evil uttered against us falsely, we can say it is not fair, which it is not. If our concern is our immediate reward, we ...

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