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 2026 to 2050 of 2415 results

2026. What Really Counts

Mark 9:38-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... called R.A.K.E. (an acronym for Random Acts of Kindness, Etc.). As Houston described what his organization did, Helga got very serious and told him that she thought “there was nothing more important in the world than kindness.” Houston was curious why she was so passionate about this subject and, as the plane took off, she dove into a story about the last time she had flown; it was 3 years past and she was en route to Arizona because she had gotten sudden news her Dad’s health was on the decline ...

2027. Crisis Management

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... announcing that Bill was a grandfather for the first time — that William P. Barker III had just fallen from heaven, a starburst of wonder streaking into a wounded world. A third crisis in one day — but this time the crisis of creation managed with the passion of love. Yes, for Bill Barker, that day was a whirlwind of crises — birth and death bumping up against one another — a day shaped by God’s rhythms and God’s reasons — and all Bill could do was stay alert, paying attention, expecting God ...

2028. The Future Present

Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... will be — already is. The future is already present because God is in charge of the world. We have a choice. We can either get with the program and help God complete this revolution, or we will find ourselves scattered and sent empty away. Mary’s passionate song of praise is rooted in the Hebrew scriptures. It echoes the main theme of Hannah’s song of praise — uttered by an old barren woman who has finally been blessed with fruitfulness of body and soul. And like Hannah, Mary is overwhelmed by the ...

2029. The Way Up Is Down!

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... smaller and smaller and Christ becomes larger. As his sense of self-importance sinks, so his praise and adoration for the God who so wonderfully saved him rises, and his desire to serve God grows. If you would be like Paul, crush pride and cultivate a passion for directing all your praise toward Christ. The Way Up Is Down! "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all" (v. 35). The disciples discuss among themselves who would become "number one." Having just heard Jesus say ...

2030. Hard and Soft Hearts

Mark 10:2-16

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... first premarital counseling session. There they sit like two lovebirds, usually holding hands and sneaking loving glances at one another. "Why do you want to get married?" Why, what a dumb question for the pastor to ask. They love each other! They love each other passionately. They can't stand to be separated from one another. They can't keep their hands off each other. "Do you know what you are getting yourself into?" What is wrong with this guy? They thought that he was in the business of marrying people ...

2031. Light Living

John 1:(1-9) 10-18

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... Is that progress? Today the gospel writer tries to give expression to the texture of light and darkness that make up our human life and to the hope which Jesus the Christ weaves into that eternal pattern. In a moment of inspiration and passionate love, God spoke a fleshy word, shouting out of the darkness — piercing, permeating, pulverizing the darkness with light — a light every bit as dramatic and explosive as July Fourth and of New Year’s Eve combined. John never claims that the darkness disappears ...

2032. Trusting the Other Side

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... to Starbucks. Lifting up Starbucks as one of the capitalist wonders of the modern world, he insists that the church has much to learn from our local coffee hangout. The philosophy of the founder of Starbucks is simple. For him, selling coffee is his Grand Passion, except that it is not about coffee. Starbucks is not a coffee shop — it is a lifestyle. It is what Sweet calls “a third place” — a place that every human being needs — a place of comfort and community and connection. It is a place beyond ...

2033. God’s Absurd Answer

Luke 6:27-38

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... we are better than the Muslims or Jews. After all, they keep waging “holy war” and proclaiming that God vanquishes evil through the sacrifice of soldiers and martyrs. But my friends, sit down and read the Old Testament. Sit down and read the Passion Story in the New Testament and you will find enough blood and guts to last you a lifetime. Chapter after chapter in Kings and Judges, in the prophets and the psalms talk about God slaughtering the enemy through the bravery of the Israelites — tens ...

2034. Trusting Authority

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... it. The last thing I wanted to communicate to our trusted Jewish friends down the hall was that we were eager to convert their flock. But when Sam sat down and told me he was ready to be baptized, the tears in his eyes and the passion in his heart could not be denied. He still did not “understand’’ the gospel teachings. He still did not “believe” all the tenets of Christian doctrine. All he knew was that he loved and trusted Jesus and the spiritual authority of this radical, first-century rabbi ...

2035. What to Give Up for Lent

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... few weeks, they had learned Lent is to be a time of preparation for Easter; a time of enhanced participation in worship, Bible study, prayer, and wrestling with the deeper questions of faith; a time to ready oneself to better experience the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Integral to spiritual preparation for Easter is to spend some time thinking about the obstacles faced daily that keep Christians from living the lives of faithful followers. Lenten self-reflection was never to be an ...

2036. Lazy Christians

Illustration

Bob Pierce

My single greatest concern is the growing inertia I see, inertia born out of our luxury and materialism. People are fooling themselves when they say the job is done.... The vast body of people in the world today have never been given enough information to know if they accept or reject Jesus…Most people think what the gospel needs is more clever, skilled people, when what it needs is more people who are willing to bleed, suffer, and die in a passion to see people come to Christ.

2037. If the Stones Cried Out

Luke 19:28-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... think that when Christ returns he will force us to do to his will; the truth of the matter is that he will enable us to be like he is. That makes all the difference in the world. Author Arianna Huffington tells of viewing the Oberammergau Passion Play in Germany a few years ago. Every ten years, the citizens of Oberammergau stage the story of Jesus’ life and crucifixion. People come from all over the world to view the play. As Huffington watched this intense drama, she also observed the irony going on ...

2038. Love in Everything

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

We call it mercy—it is God's forgiving love. We call it providence—it is God's caring love. We call it kindness—it is God's understanding love. We call it Christ's passion and death—it is God's proven love. We call it happiness—it is God's encouraging love. We call it the will of God—it is God's unerring love. We call it heaven—it is God's rewarding love. We call it eternity—it is God's unending love.

2039. Feeling Through Others

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... childhood disease. Anne Sullivan taught her to read through her senses of touch, smell, and taste. At the end of her autobiography Helen Keller says: "Fate—silent, pitiless—bars the way. Fain would I question his imperious decree; for my heart is undisciplined and passionate, but my tongue will not utter the bitter, futile words that rise to my lips, and they fall back into my heart like unshed tears. Silence sits immense upon my soul. Then comes hope with a smile and whispers, 'There is joy in self ...

2040. Who Is a Missionary?

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... : Their message was reconciliation to God, they had a worldwide vision, they had a strategy, they focused on basic ministries, they trained disciple makers to carry on the work, they were men of perseverance, they were part of a team, they were men of compassion, and they were men of passion.

2041. Jonathan Goforth—The Spirit of Caleb

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

Some years back there was a missionary with the same kind of persevering passion as we find in Caleb in the Book of Joshua. His name was Jonathan Goforth of China. At an advanced age his mission was turned over to the United Church of Canada. He was now separated from his life's labor in China. His wife was weak with illness, and ...

2042. Shelley on Pride

Illustration

Percy Bysshe Shelley

... from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed, And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings, Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains. Round ...

2043. Next Man Up

John 17:20-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... friend from Bible college, Macauley Rivera. Macauley had two great dreams in life: to marry his college sweetheart, Sharon, and to start a church in inner-city Washington, DC, in his old neighborhood. Everyone who knew Macauley knew of this great passion he had to spread the Gospel in the inner-city. Sadly, just before graduation, Macauley and Sharon were killed in an automobile accident. At Macauley’s memorial service, the pastor exclaimed, “Mac is gone.” Then, quite dramatically he asked, “Who ...

2044. Setting His Face Toward Jerusalem

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

King Duncan

... Setting your face toward Jerusalem means wanting God’s will more than your own plans. Gladys Aylward was a young housemaid in London whose life was changed when she heard an evangelist preach on serving God with your whole life. That day, Gladys developed a passion for international missions. She began reading about China, and took on extra jobs to save up money to travel there. Gladys was a small, shy, poorly-educated woman, but she trusted that if God was calling her to the mission field, then He would ...

2045. When Mickey Mouse Recognizes You...

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... children. The waiter then said to Tony, “Don’t let them bother you. Enjoy your meal.” (6) If you know anything about Tony Campolo, you know that “enjoying his meal” under such circumstances would be far from his mind. Because of his love for Christ, Tony has a passion for helping the forgotten children of this world. If he can find a way to help, he will. His experience reminds me of a story told by another pastor whose name we do not know. It seems that a layman in a church in one of the most ...

2046. A Mystery

John 16:12-15

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

... love of the one who created us, the cleansing flames of the one who redeems us, and the fiery heat of the one who wants to get us moving. If we wrap ourselves in God’s love, heal ourselves in God’s grace, and catch the sparks of God’s passion, we will set the world on fire.

2047. Comfort Zone

Illustration

Paul F. Rack

A music critic tells the story of hearing the great jazz trumpeter, Miles Davis, playing in a club. At one point, Miles played a beautiful ballad, and he played it so lovingly and with such heartbroken passion that he brought the house down. Afterwards, this writer tells of approaching Miles backstage and asking why he didn’t play ballads more often since he played them so well. Miles responded: “I don’t play ballads because I love playing ballads too much.” In other words, ballads didn’t ...

2048. Free From What? For What?

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

... it is not. Freedom is not an escape from authority, from responsibility, or from obligation. Sure, authority figures, responsibilities, and obligations can feel inhibiting, but to walk away from these is to be enslaved by our bodies, our minds, and our passions. In Paul’s words, it is to be enslaved by the flesh, which leads to destructive sexuality, drunkenness, the worshiping of false gods, hatred, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, and so on. All of these arise out of our ...

2049. In Need of a "Rally Monkey"

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... impossible things. What they really needed was obedience to Christ’s plan for their lives When John Beekman was in his early twenties, he was diagnosed with a serious heart problem. His doctor told him that he probably wouldn’t live past forty. John’s burning passion was to serve the Lord as a missionary, so he asked his doctor if his heart problems would disqualify him from missionary work. The doctor said, “John, if the Lord wants you on the mission field, He’ll get you there. And if I were you ...

2050. A Bridge Between Two Worlds

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... hard to reach the Chinese people was now denied entry into the country. He went back to school and trained to reach the people of South Korea instead. He spent 25 years as a missionary in South Korea. But in all that time, he never lost his passion for China. He prayed regularly for the people of China. He begged God to open up Chinese society to Christian missionaries. He wept over all those people in China who would never get to hear of their Savior, Jesus Christ. But after President Richard Nixon visited ...

Showing results