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 2401 to 2425 of 4959 results

2401. EPISODE 3: THE THIRD WEEK IN LENT

Drama

Robert Clausen

... fill it with expanding hopes. You put it to your lips, and it mocks you with disgusting sounds. JUDAS: I have nothing to say to you. BISHOP: On the contrary, let us talk. There is much we have in common. JUDAS: What could we have in common? BISHOP: The desire for power. Ah, you look surprised. We don’t deny it. But do not misunderstand me. Much good comes from the church’s power. JUDAS: Much good for you, I’m sure of that. BISHOP: Don’t be quick to judge too harshly. We are a stabilizing power in ...

2402. EPISODE 5: THE FIFTH WEEK IN LENT

Drama

Robert Clausen

... ; because he has condemned as narrow your particular interpretation of the laws of God; because he has exposed ecclesiastical corruption; and because he has won a following among the people which diminishes your grip upon their minds and pockets. For this you hate him, and fervently desire to put him out of the way, but can find no way to do it. And so you come to me, hoping that I will do the dirty work, after which your problem is eliminated. With this unwelcome competition gone you can return to the ...

2403. Your Image of Tomorrow

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... They were seeing things they had never seen before, and, from the Gospel record, it is apparent that Jesus was pleased. He drew his disciples aside and said to them privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it" (Luke 10:23 RSV). My message to you, dear friend, is a call to the far vision; my prayer is that your eyes may be blessed in seeing. Yonder at the western end of the Mediterranean, where Europe and ...

2404. To Bethlehem and Beyond

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... greatly when fellowship is communicated in personal ways. Normally, a fellow who thinks a lot of his girl friend would rather go to see her than to call her up on the telephone. "I love you" said in person on a moonlit night is generally more desirable than the same three words typed in a letter and sent from a thousand miles away. I know of no philosophy that can substitute for a handclasp, and certainly no science. If you have ever walked through some shadowed valley of sorrow, you know that it means ...

2405. I know You by Name

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

Jon L. Joyce

... by name, and you are mine." Or as that promise is fulfilled in the New Testament in John 10:3: "He calleth his own sheep by name." Think of the wonder of it that the individual human being is known to Almighty God by name. The deepest desire in the heart of every person is to have this individuality, not only before God, but in the presence of society, and one of the real tragedies of present society is the destruction, progressively, of our personhood. Ours is a time when we have learned to make machines ...

2406. Seek God's Will

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Jon L. Joyce

... Spirit would lead unto his truth. (John 16:13) In the last verse of the lesson, Jesus warns the disciples to tell the vision to no man until the Son of Man was risen from the dead. The reason for this request was that the people were so desirous of a warrior Messiah that they would misinterpret him and would begin to start revolutions against Rome, and Jesus’ redemptive work as the Messiah would be thwarted. So, as his disciples today, we need to know what and what not to say. We must not be contentious ...

2407. Thorns and Roses

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Then comes the refrain of that country song: "Thank God for unanswered prayers." Some prayers do not receive positive responses because God in his wisdom knows that something else is better for us. But what about our prayers for sick people? We know that God desires healing instead of illness. Why do some prayers for healing seem to be answered positively while others are not? I pray for the healing of sick people all the time. I believe that those prayers are always answered. God heals in three ways. The ...

2408. The Waters of Your Baptism

Colossians 2:6-23

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Chattahoochie River, he re-baptized ten or fifteen folks. Everything was going well until he met a Methodist lady named Raynelle Roberts. He persuaded her that baptism by sprinkling was deficient. He scheduled her for underwater baptism the following Sunday afternoon. But Raynelle's desire for re-baptism was exceeded only by her fear of water. She happened to have a son who had been in the Navy. He had brought home one of those Navy life jackets. Raynelle took the floatation material out of that life jacket ...

2409. The Beauty of a Childlike Faith

Matthew 18:1-9

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... that we Christians should emmulate. It is their ability to trust so completely. When I was sixteen years old, my little brother Joe was just four. He was my favorite little buddy and went with me lots of places. Now, my judgment at age sixteen left a lot to be desired. I would take my little brother up on a high diving board, drop him off, and then jump in and retrieve him. Joe could not swim. Nevertheless, as I pulled him from the water, he would beg me to do it again. If you're a teenager, please don't ...

2410. Our Unmanageable God (The Second Commandment)

Exodus 20:1-21, Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... ; Dad's hair is still falling out; and my dog hasn't had puppies. I'm tired of saying prayers for this family without getting any results." Some adults have that same attitude toward prayer. But prayer is not a matter of handing God a shopping list of desired items. Jesus invited us to ask for what we need. He promised that we would receive, but not necessarily what we ask for. Prayer is aligning oneself with God's purposes and declaring, "Not my will but thine be done." The Second Commandment is an eternal ...

2411. Wimps Become Warriors

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Fire has a way of burning away the chaff, anything that is useless or cumbersome. Fire also refines and galvanizes. The hearts of the disciples were set on fire with love for Christ, and with a burning desire to tell the story. Remember that the official symbol of the United Methodist Church is a pentecostal flame and a cross. Our mission is to tell and live a cross-centered gospel, empowered and taught by the Holy Spirit. Our founder John Wesley said, "The ...

2412. This Adulterous Generation

Matthew 5:27-30, Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... her in his heart." Later, Jesus added: "For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, lying, and slander." (Matthew 15:19) Jesus put his finger on the core of the problem for this and every other adulterous generation--the lustful desire nurtured in the heart looking for an opportunity to find expression. This does not mean that it is wrong to admire beauty or handsomeness in the opposite sex. I love the story of a young man who was struggling against lust. His pastor had ...

2413. "Hands Off!"

Exodus 20:1-21, Luke 19:11-27

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... owner is stealing an employee's necessities in order to indulge his luxuries. If I conspire with a domestic employee to hide that person's employment in order to avoid social security costs, I am an accomplice in stealing that person's retirement benefits, whether or not that employee desires me to do so. There are at least a hundred ways to steal, but only one way to be honest. A fifth way to steal is to withhold money from creditors. If I cannot pay a bill when it comes due, I must go to that creditor and ...

2414. A Shepherd To Lead Us

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

... hired hand. Jesus says when they see the wolves coming they leave the sheep and run away. Let us be candid. Not all of those who are appointed as pastors have the people’s best interest at heart. There are some who are filled with their own sinful desires and they are a danger to their flock. It is a pity but it is true. But let us also be realistic. Mistakes do not mean a pastoral failure. Anyone, even the greatest religious leaders will fall. For example, when Richard Nixon’s White House tapes were ...

2415. The Hiding Angel

1 John 2:28--3:10

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . There is a responsible adult who has always loved and cared for you. She wants to adopt you. But according to the courts, that adoption requires your consent. In a similar sense, God has always loved us and cared for us. Through infant baptism God declares his desire to adopt us. But our permission is required. Once we claim Jesus Christ by faith, our adoption as a son or daughter of God Almighty is official. Then what a wonderful status we have! What could possibly be a higher honor than to be a child of ...

2416. Who Are the Christians?

Judges 1:1-36

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... spiritual disease called sin which unless cured is eternally terminal. The most noticeable symptoms of this disease are selfishness, inner turmoil, and rebellion against God. The only cure is found in Jesus Christ. He works on our hearts so that our desires change, our sin is curbed, and fellowship with God is restored. The first heart transplant was performed almost thirty years ago by Dr. Christian Barnard. Dr. Barnard said that often his patients after surgery would request to see their old hearts which ...

2417. The Waiting Game

Sermon

James Bjorge

... . My first experience of coon hunting taught me an important lesson about waiting. It was a cold November evening after Jack Frost had already nipped the pumpkins and shaken the autumn leaves off the trees. The refrigerated air filled the lungs and made a person desire to step briskly. The moon was kissing the earth with soft beams, and occasionally a great horned owl would pierce the silence of the night with his melancholy hoot. The hunt for coons was on. The hounds bounded away as they were unleashed for ...

2418. God Is a Giver

Sermon

James Bjorge

... not saying that this kind of motivation is all bad. Not at all. But we had better not call it gift-giving. For if the child then does well, he has earned whatever we bribed him with and it is thus no longer a gift. We also succumb to the desire for power which manifests itself in giving expensive gifts so the recipient feels indebted to the giver. We know that he who pays the piper calls the tune. So as we look at our history of gift-giving we shall probably all admit that often we have used gifts selfishly ...

2419. God Stood Up

Sermon

James Bjorge

... , doubts to deal with. He wept real tears, laughed real laughter, and occasionally camped in the hills for a long night with his Father. We know that the wounded seek refuge with the wounded. When we are hardpressed and caught up in an upheaval, we desire to keep company with those who understand. Perhaps they can hand out no solution but we know they have felt as we feel and there is an indescribable comradeship. When we are understood ... that means a lot. Christmas tells us that God stepped forward as ...

2420. Christmas Concern

Sermon

James Bjorge

... grew older. Some of us are like that. It is easy to become calloused and hard and a bit indifferent to the tragedies of human existence. But Jesus never did allow that to happen in himself. He was too much a man to weep for himself or in a desire for sympathy ... but he cried for others as he entered into their lives. So, hurting people felt comfortable with Jesus for they sensed that he hurt with them. The woman at the well knew her sin. She shunned the contact with people who made her despise herself all ...

2421. Remember Lot’s Wife

Luke 17:20-37

Sermon

Don Yocom

... , or our souls and bodies could be destroyed. Evil can destroy so quickly. Things may go along slowly, building up to a climax. But, when the time comes, FLEE FOR YOUR LIFE! Lot’s wife was not just curious. If fire came in a mighty cataclysm to our town, the desire to get away would be much stronger than the urge to be curious about what was going on. But Lot’s wife looked back. The longings and urges were too great. She gave in and lost all God had to offer, and her strength of character was lost. The ...

2422. Those Bothersome Do’s and Don’ts

Drama

Sarah Walton Miller

... Now, when that girl says, "How do I look?" I’ll think how I don’t want to harm this poor girl and I’ll say, "Beautiful!" FEMALE 2: [disgusted] How shallow! MALE 2: [fervently] But how safe! VOICE: Don’t envy others for what they have. Don’t desire another’s possessions for yourself. Not his wife nor his beasts nor houses. MALE 4: Why would I envy anybody his wife? FEMALE 1: What about clothes? MALE 1: Or wheels? FEMALE 2: Or popularity? MALE 3: Or job? FEMALE 3: Or even grades in school. MALE 4 ...

2423. Slices of Life

Drama

Sarah Walton Miller

Here are some short skits to be used as springboard to discussion. These little "Slices of Life" point up some of our less desirable characteristics. Make up your own questions. IN THE DRESS DEPARTMENT two girls ONE: I can hardly wait to try these dresses on! Hand me the blue lace. TWO: This one? But this one is a size too small. Here - read the tag yourself. ONE: I did already. TWO: Shall I ...

2424. THE JOURNEY

Drama

Jerome W. Nilssen

... GRACE) They’re all phases of growing up, getting maturity. And then, when you come down the home stretch, when you’ve got all the evidence piled in front of you, then you get a glimpse of the complete satisfaction, the total fulfillment of every dream and desire. The ultimate, the ultimate wound is death - the finest defect of them all. (Crooning) It’s natural to be dead. GRACE But it’s him! I want to get in touch with him. CAIN (Seductively) Did you know that I’ve got an artificial arm? GRACE I ...

2425. But Men Loved Darkness

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... , displaying how well their individual bodies could perform these functions. For them, that was not sin, that was the level of their light. But we have more light. We know that love and courtship and marriage mean more than showing ourselves off as desirable sexual partners physically. So, for us, many of our dances are a reversion to darkness, and, therefore, sin. We know better. Once cannibalism wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t wrong to eat the flesh of a fellow human being, and cannibalism existed among ...

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