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 2251 to 2275 of 5000 results

2251. Mulliganeers, All

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the game of golf, a game often played in defiance of the Sabbath, a truly bad shot, a whack into the water, a slice into an impenetrable bramble bush, a ball that simply disappears into thin air, can be erased by a “mulligan.” I love “mulligans.” A “mulligan” is a gift of grace, a “second chance,” a “do-over” that is neither earned nor expected. A “mulligan” makes it possible for a player to stay in the game despite having made a terrible mistake. Christians are all “mulliganeers ...

2252. Mentoring Matters

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... to his friends about the harsh punishment his parents inflicted upon him for minor childhood transgressions. The manner in which they exercised their parental authority colored Martin's picture of God as a stern and wrathful God, rather than as a loving parent. Contemporary psychologists have interpreted Luther's early days as a monk in terms of his relationship with his birth parents. His depression and despair, his feelings of God's abandonment in his life may well have resulted from these childhood ...

2253. Legacies of Power

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... , then the merchant leaves with Paul's blessing and prayer. Outside, the merchant inquires of Timothy, "What is the key to Paul's power? I have never met anyone like him in my entire life." "Haven't you figured it out?" asks Timothy. "Paul is in love ... Paul is in love with Jesus Christ." The man looks even more confused. "Is that all?" With a smile on his face, Timothy answers, "Ah, but that is everything."6 And, indeed it is. Christ is the King, and in his power is the hope of the world. Amen. 1. Robert ...

2254. Acquired Taste

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... How far apart culturally was Budapest from Scotland? How different could the world of a Hungarian Jewish child be from that of a working class Scottish woman? As far as the East is from the West? But Jane Haining’s faith thrived on this new diet. Her compassion and love for her young charges grew her faithfulness in God’s presence in her work. In one letter back to friends she wrote “We have one new little six-year-old, an orphan without a mother or a father. She is such a pathetic wee soul to look at ...

2255. There Will Be Light

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... they are ashamed. But people who live in a fellowship where they know and are known live in the light and are encouraged to be and to do those things of which they can be proud.” (4) Just as darkness symbolizes sin and estrangement, light represents grace and love. In 1973, Margaret Craven wrote a book titled I Heard the Owl Call My Name. It is a book where the central character, Mark Brian, is a young priest who has only three years to live. His doctor and his bishop have not told him of his prognosis ...

2256. Eyes To See, Ears To Hear

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

James McCormick

... . That was a new experience, and Alfie was totally unprepared for it. He was devastated! I don’t think I have ever seen a more graphic picture of stark dejection than I saw there in him. He went out to the beach to think. All around him were couples in love, walking hand in hand, but Alfie had no part in it. He was utterly alone. A little dog danced in and out of the surf, celebrating the sheer joy of life, but Alfie did not share in it. He was miserable! The camera moved back to show a panoramic view ...

2257. Luke 6:20-31

Luke 6:17-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , coat and a shirt, giving to all without exception and expecting nothing back in return (vv.29-30). Jesus’ final directive in today’s text repeats the familiar words of the “Golden Rule,” a version of the injunction found in Leviticus 19:18, “love your neighbor as yourself.” While this “rule” was known and accepted to a degree within both ancient Jewish and Hellenistic societies, the Golden Rule had always been tempered by the Silver Rule (an eye-for-an-eye, lex talionis principle of “do ...

2258. 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... “Trinity Sunday.” Here in v.13 (or v.14 in some versions — a final clang of Corinthian discord!) Paul expresses the triune nature of this Christian faith. It is Paul’s succinct declaration of “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit” that led Karl Barth to famously conclude, “Trinity is the Christian name for God.” Paul’s ordering of these three “persons” is important. “The Lord Jesus Christ” comes first. Without the saving grace ...

2259. Romans 13:8-14

Romans 13:8-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to be yet another distancing of Christians from the rule and rigors of Mosaic Law. But it also reinforces the new state-of-being that now “rules” the disciple’s life. Paul declares that “the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Yet the obligation to “love one another” can never be fulfilled. It must be extended every day, in every encounter, in every way. The commandments governing interactions and relationships with others are not dismissed as part of the “old” covenant. Rather ...

2260. Jesus Would Do What?

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... , put the chewed piece in, and worked his brother’s jaws up and down. Later, the news crew learned that the older brother had done that same routine for about two weeks until he, himself, finally died of malnutrition. The younger brother survived. (8) Friend, wouldn’t you love to have a brother like that? You do. Theologian Leonard Sweet talks of the four “rules” by which we live: The Iron rule Do to others before they do to you; The Silver rule Do to others as they do to you; The Golden rule Do to ...

2261. The Handiwork of God

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... , and said, “Will you marry me?” Immediately she forgot about the pillow. The one who gave her the pillow now became a lot more important. (4) The Lord of all the universe has come to us on bended knee, as it were, to let us know how much we are loved, how much we are treasured. That’s grace. He “humbled himself,” says St. Paul. That’s grace. However, he did not come on bended knee so that so that we could spend our lives just getting by. He did it so that he might fashion us into his handiwork ...

2262. Undistracted and Committed

Mark 1:9-13

Illustration

Tim Zingale

... cups and swords and knives. One by one, the runners, princes and paupers alike, turned aside to fill their pockets and carry off what treasures they could. Blinded by the immediate promise of wealth, they forgot the princess and all their professions of love. All except one! He pressed on, ignoring what to him were trinkets when compared to incomparable beauty of the princess and the prospect of gaining her hand in marriage, finally crossing the finish line. That is the way temptation works. It places ...

2263. Aroma of Christ Church

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... makes it possible for the community of faith to act as “imitators of God,” is the act that has transformed sinners into saints, into “beloved children” in God’s eyes. That act, of course, was Christ’s dedication to “live in love” and to give “himself up for us.” Using First Testament temple sacrifice language, Ephesians describe Christ’s ultimate sacrificial act as a “fragrant offering” to God on our behalf. The burnt offerings of roasted meats and roasted grains perfumed the air ...

2264. Holy, Holy, Holy

John 16:12-15

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... to baptize "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). The apostle Paul underscores the reality of the Trinity in 2 Corinthians 13:13, with a blessing to the Corinthian church, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you." In our gospel today, John writes, "The Spirit, sent by the Father, reveals God's truth by giving glory to the Son ... making the Son known." The term "trinity" was first used by ...

2265. The Trouble With Stables

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... quicksand of grown-up reality, the day-to-day grind of a job that is just work, the dull pain that hangs on and on about which the doctors cannot seem to do anything, the emptiness of a home that is now just a house where people stay. The love is gone, the boredom that comes in retirement after a life of fulfilling activity sets in. Nothing dramatic, but then stables rarely are. The trouble with stables is not that they are dark and dirty and smelly — that is the nature of a stable. No, the trouble with ...

2266. Mark 12:28-34

Mark 12:28-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... knows Jesus’ selection of the “first” must come. Jesus’ response is both utterly traditional and uniquely creative. He first cites Deuteronomy 6:4-5, the “Shema” (Hebrew for “to hear”) — “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Mark’s recitation of the Shema adds “with all your mind” (“dianoia”) which is not in the Hebrew text. There ...

2267. Freedom Calling

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... , the needs of the world are clearly beyond any of our small efforts, either as individuals or as a church. Yet you and I have been given the wonderful gift of freedom in Christ, and we are called to use that freedom not to indulge ourselves, but to love and care for our neighbors. In response to that call, we need to at least start somewhere! One time, Jesus was having supper when a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume. She poured the whole jar of perfume on Jesus' head and anointed ...

2268. Guarding the Treasure

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... be like the water in the pot boiling over the sides. A good, strong flame that gives us energy is more what we need. Let us draw from the Holy Spirit as we fan the flame of our faith. The passage mentions three specific gifts of the Spirit: power, love, and self-discipline. Each of the three is important, and all three reinforce each other. When we feel weak, we need God's power. We need power to overcome temptation. We need power to break free from the things that control us. We need power to grow in grace ...

2269. What God Expects From Worship

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

... who were at risk in their society. Their many worship services and token religiosity were so far from what God intended that God was sickened by all of it. Psalm 22:3 declares that God is enthroned upon the praises of Israel, but God isn't feeling the love. Worship that is devoid of devotion to God and commitment to God's ways is nothing more than a burden. And God turns away in disgust. When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen ...

2270. Good Hearts

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... offer them a smile and a prayer. This is why the veil was lifted: to enable us to go in so we can come out and spread the love of God in the world. We are justified by grace through no goodness of our own so that we can be sanctified for grace and goodness in the ... to have a “good heart,” to have “God’s heart,” and to live in this world with a “new heart” of heart-rending love. That means that the question is not how big is your world. The question is how big is your heart. A very small world ...

2271. The Widow and the Unjust Judge

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ’t you spend as much time in prayer that would save your life as you do in these frivolous, unfruitful pursuits and past-times that demean your life? *Rather than making a noisy clang, why not make a joyful noise? *Why not sing prayers and praises unto the Lord, who loves you and is waiting to grant you your heart’s desire? *Why do you have more faith in your own manipulation and in the ways of the world than faith in God's mercy and God's means? *Why do we want to "assure" an outcome we can see and ...

2272. Named, Claimed, and Framed

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Tony Everett

... , as Peter declares, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.” God has included us, named and claimed after-Easter people, as witnesses to this new reality, members of this new community, part of the new frame that centers God’s loving message for us and for the world forever. God’s framed future has begun — a new and living reality is becoming visible. The old is passing away. Death has lost its sting. Grief has lost its power. Sin has lost its control. Christ is risen! He ...

2273. Claimed, Framed, Changed

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Tony Everett

... everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him” (Acts 2:39). Now is God’s saving game plan coming into focus? It begins with what God has done, is doing, and promises to continue doing. It begins with God’s saving claim of us and God’s loving frame around us. Because God is in charge, therefore, we can change. Because in Jesus God has turned the world’s view of reality upside down, therefore, we are not trapped and entombed by old ways of thinking and feeling. Because God has turned toward us first ...

2274. Lesson from a Chipmunk

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Tony Everett

... the apostles walked back to Jerusalem, about one half mile from Mount Olivet. Where do you go when you are anxious and confused by life challenges? The risen Jesus told the disciples to stay in Jerusalem. The ascended Jesus invites us to the center of God’s loving actions for us and for the world. For us, that is the body of Christ, the church. Here is where we know the promise is heard and the gift of power is given. Here is where our mission is articulated and our specific purpose in life is clarified ...

2275. Prelude to the Passion

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... hearts upon himself. That brings us to the final thing we need to see this Palm Sunday: Christ came to usher in a new kingdom of love. Jesus turned the world on its head: a king who comes in humility, a king who does not ask others to sacrifice for him but ... them. Humanity had never been exposed before to a God who would go to a cross. Humanity had never before been exposed to a God who loves like that, who would tear out His own heart for His people. And yet, here is the hope of all who are in pain and call ...

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