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 2326 to 2350 of 2415 results

2326. To Love

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... and world and think somehow we are better than they. Not those who ritualistically go through the motions of faith while forgetting God throughout the week. Not those who claim to love in spirit but do nothing to how it in life. But those who love…passionately and actively. Sacrificially and relentlessly. Today, we celebrate love. We re-form ourselves back into the loving image of God to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to not just feel love but to act lovingly to each other and those outside of our ...

2327. Yes, You Can Work Yourself to Death

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... you will fish for people. Whatever work you are doing, whatever hobbies you have, wherever you find yourself, your primary purpose now is to bring people to God. Your primary purpose in your home, in your workplace, in your school, in your hobbies, in your passions, in your relationships is to share the love and truth of Jesus Christ with others. That’s the new vision God has for your life. It’s like something interesting that I read about our country’s space program recently. It seems that when NASA ...

2328. The Baptism of the Lord

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... in need. Open up the church for community meetings. Have free car washes at community festivals. Provide housing for the homeless. Help the hungry by providing free food or community soup nights. Ask the congregation to come up with other ideas. Lighthouses are a passion for me. The reason is their function over the years. These lighthouses saved the lives of seaman by lighting the way over dangerous seacoasts. As a church our task is to help those who are navigating the dangerous coasts of life as we help ...

2329. A Sympathetic High Priest

Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... outcome for daily life of this joy? This joy leads to gratitude and a hope that conquers all the uncertainty, the suffering, the sadness we are enduring in life. Again Martin Luther helps us see the matter more clearly: We do not preach about the passion in order for people to become ingrates; but rather that they recognize our heavenly Father’s great love for humankind and his son our Lord Jesus Christ... For he who believes with his whole heart that Christ suffered for him will not be a thankless rogue ...

2330. Hold the Candy

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Mary Austin

... son or daughter taking care of a parent through a long illness…the parent who fights every day for the child with special needs…the couple whose misty-eyed honeymoon has given way to decades of learning to accommodate each others’ dreams, quirks, and passions…the gay or lesbian couple struggling to be seen in our society. Paul’s letter to the church in the city of Corinth addresses this wider vision of love. Our passage follows a section where he reminds this whole church community to value each ...

2331. Temptation

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Will Willimon

... are asking for is security." Security. Is that too much to ask? Security. So we spent $1 trillion on the project. It's called ''health care," but let's call it ''security management." While we were spending $1 trillion on ourselves, we little curbed our passion for alcohol, beef, and tobacco. Every day fourteen American children were shot. Harper's Lewis Lapham asks why nobody told us that ''death admits no known cures, or that there isn't enough money in the world, let alone the United States, to guarantee ...

2332. Rules for Basic Living

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... hate relationship with them. They bring order to chaos…stability from unpredictability…soundness to erratic changes. However, rules can frustrate, overwhelm and discourage us because we view them as concrete, never-bending or always rigid. At times we resist them with a passion while at other times we embrace them with vitality. How often has this conversation been played by a parent to their child? Parent: “I told you not to do that, it’s a rule in our house!” Child: “Why?” Parent: “Because ...

2333. Understanding What God Expects of Us

Acts 9:1-6, (7-20)

Sermon

King Duncan

... -religious Flanders family. In one episode, Homer asks the Flanders where they have been. Ned answers, “We went away to a Christian camp. We were learning how to be more judgmental.” (4) It’s funny—and sad—because it’s true. Too many Christians are passionate about the laws of God but completely missing the love of God. If we truly desire to honor God, then the first question we must ask ourselves is, “Why do I believe what I believe?” The second question we should ask ourselves from this ...

2334. When What You Signed Up For...

Acts 16:9-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... might look like. Roger’s lifelong dream was to be a police officer. When he graduated from college, he joined the Kalamazoo, Michigan Police Department. Roger says he loved everything about being a police officer. The job was a perfect fit for his personality, passions and skill set. He was promoted quickly through the ranks. Fourteen years passed in which Roger thrived on the police force. Then one day while he was studying his Bible, Roger heard God tell him, “Roger, I want you to leave police work ...

2335. Selling the Cross

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

King Duncan

... us understand that Jesus’ path is not easy, but it is the pathway to life and joy and meaning, and that God made us for this very purpose. It’s important for us to see, first of all, that Jesus walked the path of commitment. He was passionately committed to obeying God in every moment of his life. Through prayer and obedience, he kept his heart, mind and will constantly aligned with that of God the Father. And this alignment of his whole self with God allowed him to live purposefully, without fear or ...

2336. We Fools

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Will Willimon

... that we ask you, not to quench all desire, but rather to kindle your desire for the right thing. “You have made us for yourself, Oh Lord, and our heart is restless until it rest in you.” These words begin Augustine's autobiography of redirected passion, Augustine's Confessions. Only God can satisfy because we are created by God to love God. Nothing else can ever satisfy the depth of that longing. Our problem as humans is not that we are full of desire, burning with unfulfillment. Our problem is that we ...

2337. Not As the World Gives

John 14:23-29 · John 5:1-9

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... surrenders the self and opens the cosmic heart to the reality of the other. It opens us to the pain of strained and broken relationships. It opens us to the struggles of someone who is out of work; it opens us to the heartache of loss and grief; to the passions through which each life journeys. It even opens us to the confused and frustrated look of a father standing on a Greenwich Village stoop. My peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Amen.

2338. Show Us the Father

John 14:8-17, 25-27

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... swimming pool in their backyard. In a very serious tone he announced, “Now if we just had a TV satellite dish, we’d be the perfect family.” Yes, that was all they needed. Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure. He was only hours away from his passion and death. He had poured his life into them for the past three and a half years. He had announced to them he was going to the Father and would prepare a place for them. They weren’t grasping what he was trying to tell them. Thomas told him ...

2339. Recruiting Volunteers

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... go out and share the message and ministry of Jesus with others. That’s when you need power. That’s when you need the authority and anointing of the spirit of Jesus Christ. That’s when you need the power to see and to love others with the same passionate, sacrificial love God has for them. That’s when you need the power to announce the kingdom of God to a disbelieving or hostile culture. That’s when you need the power to heal the sick and cast out demons. That’s when you need the power to stand ...

2340. How to Pray

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... prayer, Bubba gets in line. When it’s his turn, the guest preacher asks, “Bubba, what do you want me to pray about?” Bubba says, “Preacher, I need you to pray for my hearing.” So the preacher puts his hands over Bubba’s ears and prays a passionate prayer for Bubba’s hearing. After a few minutes, he removes his hands and asks, “Bubba, how’s your hearing now?” Bubba says, “I don’t know, preacher, it’s not until next Wednesday in Little Rock.” (1) That might be an example of a bad ...

2341. Wake Up! Get Ready!

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I believe Jesus meant these words literally and figuratively. God cares passionately about the poor and needy. You can’t read through the Bible and miss this truth. So giving what you have to provide for the needy is a Biblical mandate. But Jesus also came to set us free from the burdens and fears of this world ...

2342. More Than a Popularity Contest

Luke 12:49-53, Luke 12:54-59

Sermon

King Duncan

... name. Later, when Franklin moved back to Chattanooga to take a teaching position with The McCallie School, he insisted that the school be integrated. His father refused, so he took a job instead at the all-black Howard School. He took his passion for integration and equal rights to the churches, to the politicians, to the streets. Occasionally, Franklin’s father would call to criticize him for his activism. Didn’t he know he was ruining his reputation? One day, Franklin learned that the local Kiwanis ...

2343. God So Loved

John 3:16-17

Sermon

Will Willimon

... , “Refreshment Sunday.” Traditionally, this Sunday was a respite from the rigors of penitence and Lenten self-denial. Since the Middle Ages, this Sunday has been a time for fruitcakes and refreshment, a break in the severe Lenten fast. In the gloomy way toward the Passion of Christ, the Gospel for this Sunday has always been John 3. It serves as a pause in the penitential procession so that we might put the cross in proper context. The first Bible verse which I learned by heart was this one: "For God ...

2344. Shameless!

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... standard, formal prayers cover the necessities. They also are a way of avoiding any mistakes such as forgetting someone or something as they pray. Jesus didn’t seem to do this. His prayers sounded much more personal. They sounded more heartfelt and passionate. His prayers were obviously something rather foreign to the ears of the disciples. After hearing him pray (probably on more than one occasion), they certainly must have discussed the nature and source of his petitions. They weren’t sure how he was ...

2345. All Dressed Up

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... varied gifts. But when we put on our servant’s garb, when we remember what we are wearing as a disciple of Christ, our identity as a servant of Christ can’t help but shine through. It’s as though the clothing we are wearing lights up our eyes with passion and our hearts shine through with love. This week, I challenge you to be more aware of who you are in Christ. Be alert to the world around you and those who need your love and care. Pay attention to the Head Chef of the world, and pay attention to ...

2346. I’ve Come To Bring Fire

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... happened as yet was because of the “baptism” he was about to undergo. His hands were tied until he had gone through that baptism. We can only speculate as to what the baptism was. From our side of the resurrection, it appears he must have been referring to his passion and death. He touched on it very fleetingly and didn’t explain what he meant by it. He quickly moved on to say he had not come to be a reconciler but a divider. This sounds way out of place for Jesus. He is called the great reconciler in ...

2347. Small Beginnings, Great Endings

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... with perception. Dostoevsky had a troubled personal life. His marriage was in shambles. He gambled compulsively. His epilepsy crippled his writings. But he created. He planted seeds. He lived expecting that God would do something in his life. He was passionate in his relationship with God. He believed he could create nothing significant unless he depended upon God’s grace working silently, patiently in his own life. “He planted seeds. Then he died to his aims and wishes. He waited for resurrection ...

2348. Are We Living In The Last Days?

Luke 21:5-19

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... to go to Scandinavia; I want to live in a third world country. I want to work for a year as a church or school custodian. I want to spend time at the ocean and read the lives of our country’s presidents. I want to want. There is no passion in me. I’m ready to die or to be reborn. I want to become intimately familiar with a plot of wilderness for four seasons. I want to ski more: the only time I feel graceful is when I’m skiing. I want more time alone. I want to learn ...

2349. When the Music Stops

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... deeply in our relationship with Jesus. We as human beings can be absentminded and distractable by the ways of the world and our own, tempestuous lives. We can get caught up in conflicts, stubbornness, and petty things. We can lose our focus and allow the flame of our passion for Christ burn low. We can get “busy” with all kinds of superficial things. Advent is like an alarm clock that wakes us up and reminds us to pay attention to the coming of the day, to enjoy the music of God’s voice in our lives ...

2350. Secret Swerve

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

A secret is like a dance you do in the dark. It’s cautious with its steps, limber in its quiet strength, and loyal to its passion. It swerves past danger and leans into adventure, all the while sidestepping to keep safe from detection. For a time, it avoids the revealing the light it knows but cannot reveal. Yet it looks forward to the coming dawn when the beauty and force of its power breaks free. Mary ...

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