Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: touch, feel, sense of touch, tactile sense, tactility, contact, using one's hands, sensation, sense, suspicion, sneaking suspicion, notion, inkling, hunch, fancy, apprehension, presentiment, premonition, foreboding, love, care, affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, warmness, emotion, sentiment, emotional state, compassion, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, understanding, concern, solicitude, solicitousness, tender-heartedness, brotherly love, sensibilities, sensitivities, self-esteem, ego, pride, opinion, belief, view, impression, intuition, instinct, estimation, guess, theory, hypothesis, thought, way of thinking, point of view, atmosphere, ambience, aura, air, mood, climate, character, overtone, undertone, tenor, spirit, quality, flavour, colour, aptitude, knack, flair, bent, talent, gift, skill, art, trick, faculty, ability, propensity, inclination, sensitive, warm, warm-hearted, tender, tender-hearted, caring, soft-hearted, sympathetic, compassionate, empathetic, responsive, receptive, intuitive, thoughtful

Antonyms: bad feeling, acrimony, animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, aversion, bitterness, detestation, disgust, dislike, disrelish, enmity, friction, grievances, grudges, hatred, hostility, loathing, malevolence, malice

Showing 2626 to 2650 of 2699 results

2626. Moving Heaven and Earth

Acts 16:16-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Neal ended his story by saying, “I don't know how to say this, because this has never happened to us before . . . but God came into our lives last night.” (2) Listen to me closely: our faithfulness, our obedience doesn’t have to involve big and impressive efforts. It could be something as simple as listening to someone who needs to talk . . . or praying a simple prayer . . . or sharing with a friend a book that touched our life. It’s not our ability that God uses to mend broken lives—it’s our ...

2627. A Day of Passion, Praise and Prophesying

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... God. Helen and her husband were having marital problems, and they had separated. While separated, Helen’s husband returned to their home country of Russia to get his citizenship papers straightened out. He ran into an old friend who invited him to church. And this man was so impressed by the change he saw in his old friend’s life that he agreed to attend church with him. And this friend’s visit to church planted a seed in his mind. When he got back to the U.S., he began reading his Bible and attending ...

2628. The Sweet Scent of Death

John 12:1-8

Sermon

Lori Wagner

What does death smell like? I’m guessing that many of you might say flowers. But not just any flowers. Heavily fragrant flowers. Dozens and dozens of them. Huge floral arrangements freshly plucked and designed to impress ooze that honeysuckle smell that masks the decomposition of the body. These aren’t light, wisps of perfume but a pungent, aromatic, overwhelmingly oppressive scent that chokes our senses, even as it chokes us up emotionally. Why? Because for us, this is the scent of funerals and ...

2629. Death Shall Be No More

John 13:31-35 · Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... the context of Revelation. So, let us make all things new and forget the televangelists. Let us imagine anew the scripture unfettered by those who would manipulate, not only the text, but faith itself for their own ends. Let us begin anew and let go of former impressions as we prayerfully consider a world where all things are indeed made new! Let us envision a world where death is no more; a reality where God’s home is not in the clouds but here among us! For me, this scripture gains clarity when viewed ...

2630. The Most Important Thing

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... confused right now. This is the point in the sermon where I’m supposed to praise Mary for choosing the better way. And it would be easy to make this Bible story into a competition between Team Mary and Team Martha. But Jesus’ actions, his priorities, are what impress me most in this passage. Let’s go back to the first verse in this passage again. Verse 38 reads, “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.” “As Jesus and ...

2631. First World Problems

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... is so wise here. He could have made money, or goats, or vineyards—whatever counted as half of this man’s inheritance—appear out of thin air. He could have easily solved this man’s problem. The man would have been thrilled. The crowd would have been impressed. But no one would have learned anything about God. And that is the greatest need any of us have in life. Jesus knows that. We need to remember that the next time we question why God doesn’t solve our temporary problems. Jesus didn’t come to ...

2632. Wake Up! Get Ready!

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... wow the crowd. But Jesus knows two things that his disciples don’t: 1) that popularity is not a measure of success in God’s eyes; obedience is. 2) And that he is on the way to Jerusalem and to his death on a cross. So instead of impressing the crowd, Jesus addresses his disciples. Our lesson begins with these words in verse 32: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” This is your memory verse. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has ...

2633. The Joy of Being Found

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... watching a famous country singer perform a live concert at a county fair. He said that she and her band gave a technically perfect performance. They were polished and professional, and they didn’t miss a beat. But as Rowell watched her, he says he got the impression that, “She’s not only tired, she’s bored out of her mind.” There was no enthusiasm to her performance. No evidence that she felt any of her songs deeply. Rowell reports that he and his family left after a few songs. On the way home ...

2634. Seeing A Familiar Friend All Over Again For The First Time

John 13:1-17 · Philippians 2:5-11 · 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

An Examination And Preparation For The Love Feast I'm a native Californian and I'm living in Indiana. I've lived in many different places in the country and one thing I'm impressed by is how each place can become home. There are so many different places to live, with their own customs, foods, and speeds. And they're all good. Recently I went to visit my folks in Silver City. That's a small town about a mile in altitude in the ...

2635. Lose the Cape

Romans 13:11-14

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... co-workers, and neighbors think of Christians, they don’t think of Jesus, love or kindness. They think of people who are judgmental, opinionated, and hypocritical. Are we surprised there are so many empty pews? As a Christian, have you ever thought about the kind of impression you make on others? What words would people use to describe you? These are good questions to ask as we begin Advent. Many folks who don’t go to church or claim a religion are yearning for the light and joy of the season. When they ...

2636. Find Joy Again!

Romans 15:4-13

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... ? To glorify God and enjoy him forever!” Ironically, I come across many people who won’t allow God into their lives because they think God is going to make them give up fun. Many misguided Christians have perpetuated this nonsense. They give off the impression that to become a Christian means the party is over -- that being spiritual means being miserable. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, to become a Christian means the party is just beginning. When you have the joy of Christ in your ...

2637. Put On Your Apocalypse Jacket

Luke 21:5-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... land. The giant stones that made up the Temple were dazzling, blinding white marble, and over some of the stones was gold plating that reflected the sunlight. From a distance, the whole complex looked like a glowing jewel. Up close, it seemed like the most impressive building in the Roman Empire. (3) And Jesus had the unenviable task of telling his disciples that one day this beautiful Temple would be destroyed—which it was in 70 A.D. To make matters worse, Jesus said, “False prophets will preach in my ...

2638. Out On A Sycamore Limb

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... sensing they were poor folks who could ill afford giving this money. He had a decent salary at the institute. He enjoyed giving back the offering; it made him feel superior. Gomes mentioned this practice to the dean of women at Tuskegee, and she was not impressed. ‘Who are you,’ she thundered ‘to refuse to accept the gift of these humble people? You have given insult by refusing them to do what they can for you.’ I, for a change, was speechless. She then concluded with a phrase that will remain with ...

2639. Out of the Darkness

Matthew 5:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... rejection and persecution and death for following him. To them, he said, “Rejoice! Jump for joy! Make the conscious effort to be salt and light for everyone. No matter what you face, decide that you will respond with love and good deeds.” I am so impressed by a news story I read about a teenage girl who took a truly disappointing situation and turned it into an opportunity for good. Eighteen-year-old Avery Sanford’s dad decided to pay his final child support payment in the most spiteful and cruel way ...

2640. Imagine This

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

John Jamison

... and pat-on-the-back that Saul had expected. Saul was confused. It wasn’t that Saul hadn’t made a good case, or that Gamaliel did not understand or believe what Saul told him. But if though he was a Pharisee with an even more impressive lineage than Saul, Gamaliel looked at things a bit differently. While putting Saul at the Jordan River is just my imagination, historians do give us a clear picture of how Gamaliel would probably have responded to Saul’s report. A few years later some of the apostles ...

2641. The Mud Room

John 9:1-41

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... our culture today, the need to control our future, our success, our relationships, and our plans, and he calls instead for us to embrace “messiness.” He tells stories of inspiring people doing extraordinary things and notes that our most impressive human qualities, such as creativity and resilience, are produced by disorder and disarray in our lives, not by order and control. Think about it. Unexpected changes of plans, unfamiliar people, unforeseen events –these generate new ideas and relationships ...

2642. More Fully Understanding Christ

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... about Jesus. He heard singing from the nearby elementary school. A group of Christians were holding worship in the school. When Samuel entered, the folks began singing in their native language the words, “Now that you have come, it is good.” Young Samuel was so impressed by the love of the congregation of that church that he couldn’t wait to go back. As he said later, “It just turned my whole world around . . . I look back and that is how Christ Jesus got me in. That is my home church.” Samuel ...

2643. When Everything That Matters Has Been Torn Away

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... myself or my neighbors.” (7) That’s what Joseph did. He made a decision, in the worst of circumstances, to live by what he knew about God. He didn’t let his loss derail him or his circumstances define him. His godly integrity and wisdom impress the Pharaoh so much that eventually he appoints Joseph to be governor over the land of Egypt. Many years ago, Pastor Norman Vincent Peale addressed the student body at the Naval Air College in Pensacola, Florida. A Navy Captain arranged to fly him back to New ...

2644. Who Am I?

Matthew 3:13-17 · Isaiah 42:1-2

Sermon

Will Willimon

... here?" I've got people who have forsaken their parents' wishes for their lives, middle aged computer programmers who walked off their good paying job and went to seminary at mid-life, people like that. How did you get here? And the thing that invariably impresses me, as I listen to their stories of vocation, is how utterly ordinary, unspectacular, and mundane was the voice they heard. They tell stories of people coming up to them after church and telling them they ought to think about being a preacher. They ...

2645. Seeing Is Believing

Isaiah 9:2 · John 1:14-18

Sermon

Will Willimon

... to us in Holy Communion. If he were simply contained in every rock, tree, and glade, as a pantheist might claim, then it would make no sense to talk about his "presence" anywhere. One does not speak of the presence of oxygen. A fish isn't impressed by the presence of water. While God is universally present at all times and places, it is important not to let our experiences of God's particular presence get swallowed up in that universal presence. We would never experience the universal presence of Christ if ...

2646. The Opposite of Love

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

The opposite of love is not hate but indifference. A sociologist interviewed some young people regarding their impressions of their homes and their parents. One young woman told him that she lived in an apartment in a big city, and after supper in the summer the children on the block gathered in the streets to play. But after awhile one would say that she had to go home ...

2647. Easter Is True

Luke 24:13-35 · 1 Peter 1:17-23

Sermon

Will Willimon

... exalted joy." I still remember, as vividly as if yesterday, sitting in a service in my home church during Easter vacation of my sophomore year. I had dutifully gotten up on Easter morning and gone to church to please the folks. Most of the service foiled to impress me. It was a skeptical time in my life when I had decided that most of this church stuff made little sense. But when the minister stood and read the scripture, Luke's story of the first Easter, I was astounded. I caught myself looking around at ...

2648. God's Little Acre

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

Will Willimon

... them pay dues, but anybody can join a church. Is that anyway to run a business? And so we come to another little story from Jesus as recorded in Matthew. As last week, Jesus is again talking about seeds and weeds. But unlike last week, the thing that impresses Jesus in this story from agriculture is not that weeds choke out the good wheat but that bad weeds flourish in the same field as the good wheat, until, looking at the field in full flower, it's hard to know whether one is looking at weeds or wheat ...

2649. Love In Action

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Will Willimon

... Will Campbell, a man who is always an uncomfortable guest, was asked to be a visiting preacher for a series at New York's Riverside Church on "What Riverside Church Can Do To Help the Future of Race Relations in America." Here is a church with impressively activist preachers and the right sort of forward thinking congregation. Campbell took as his text Mark's story of the rich young man. "What can Riverside Church do to help race relations?" he asked at the beginning of his sermon. What can this church do ...

2650. A Violent Week

Mark 14:1-2 · Luke 22:14-23:56

Sermon

Will Willimon

... of peace, ends with a man dying with a sword in his side - but not in his hand. Jesus didn't give us much help in thinking through these matters. That is, he left no learned theses on the subject of violence, peace, war, nothing so impressive as those books written by Christian ethicists, some of them here at Duke. All Jesus left us, unlearned man as he was, was his example, the way he lived and died. He did not join the Zealots, the first-century Palestinian Liberation Organization, in their fight ...

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