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 251 to 275 of 439 results

251. Dealing with Criticism

1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Sermon

James L. Killen

... to be able to own your ambivalence, to listen to the sincere opinions of others, and to evaluate the evidence. If you should discover that you have been wrong, you will not be undone. You will still be a beloved child of God. Once you have entrusted your ego to God's keeping, you can freely give attention to your purpose. Ask what it really is that God wants said or done. The answer to that question will come from two places at once. It will come from your basic and growing understanding of the Christian ...

252. Temptation of the Palms

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... would you choose? Of course the choice is not that easy if you consider that the cross stood between you and the glory that would come from God. Jesus resisted the temptation of Palm Sunday. And because he was able to overcome any inkling to give in to his ego, he was able to fulfill his purpose on earth. As a lamb sacrificed on the altar, Jesus was given over to the enemy and died for our sins — crucified for us that we might have everlasting life. And God exalted him. God, not the people in the crowd ...

253. Complete Joy

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... others as better than ourselves is quite a practical way to ensure that conflicts rarely get out of hand. In fact, following this advice usually means that what conflict exists is truly centered on questions that matter, never on questions of one person's ego, another person's position, and someone else's pride. If we consistently regard others as better than ourselves, and each person regards others as better than themselves, then it is much easier to do those things that will make Paul's joy complete. If ...

254. The Extended Family

John 13:31-35

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... . He described it this way. He said it is an "I - It" world. What is real in this world is the "I," the personal, me. Everything else is distant and impersonal, an "it." The third person neuter. A thing. Something to be manipulated and used for the enrichment of my ego, of me, of I. He said the way the world should be, the way it is created to be, is to be a community, a communion. He called that world an "I - Thou" world, using the most personal address for another person, "thou." Let me ask you, do you ...

255. Where's Your Spirit?

Acts 19:1-7

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... this thoroughly modern idea of ourselves. We think of ourselves as being alone, the creator of our own lives, and the re-creator of our lives whenever we want to. All this, we believe, is done by our own effort. This has been called the "heroic ego." It means that my efforts got me all of this. My intelligence made all of this possible. The wonderfulness of myself is the reason that I am such a successful person. Well there is a different understanding of human existence, and it is called "Providence." It ...

256. Demonstrating the Divine

John 1:10-18

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... like the church - and that moments of soaring will always be matched with messy moments of slogging through the mud. After all, the church is made up of people - people like you and people like me - with our peculiarities, with our stubborn opinions, with our self-inflated egos, with our anguished anxieties. And so, if we are to love the church, we need to start by loving each other and by loving the church as it really is. In her book, Holy the Firm, Annie Dillard writes: "There is one church here, so I go ...

257. God's Delight

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... grace of God. Now, in these pre-inaugural days, the very word "power" both excites us and disgusts us. There is so much lust for power running through the fax machines and telephone lines and mailboxes of Washington that one wonders if the finite human ego can survive it all. As Christians we have always tended to frown on the word "power," and have focused instead on Jesus' special concern for the powerless. And yet, my friends, power, which comes from the Latin word posse, means simply "to be able." It ...

258. His Last Command ... Our First Concern!

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... accomplish this task. Never forget, the great commission was given to a group, not an individual. It was given to the church! When Jesus set about his ministry of teaching and healing there were those who asked, "By what authority do you do this? Is it your own ego or Satan or some man who compels you to do these things?" And Jesus consistently pointed to God as the basis of his authority. It is the same today. You just get busy going and discipling and teaching, and real soon, somebody's going to want to ...

259. Deep Water!

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... with God, so big, so impossible, so unthinkable, that it is doomed to failure unless God is in it, we must remember, it is only by God's strength that we can do what we do - preach, convert, sustain, and grow the church. That means less self-ego, more divine worship. Less looking to ourselves, more looking to Jesus. Less gazing at the world, more riveted faith in God. When Jesus and Peter got back in the boat, the whole lot of them, the disciples, worshiped. "Truly you are the Son of God," they whispered ...

260. The Holidaze Craze

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... superior because they spoke in tongues. Some declared their special status because they could prophesy. By turning gifts of grace into gifts of glory, these Christians had literally "dis-graced" their gifts, substituting self for service, and replacing the personal ego for the divine "I am." In a recent article for Harper's magazine, award-winning writer and United Methodist layman Bill McKibben discussed the fact that three out of four US Americans believe that the admonition "God helps those who ...

261. Living Outside the Box

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... being told to admit they had much more to learn. Despite the fact that they were eye-witnesses to the life, teachings, and miracles of Jesus, they were told they were not yet ready to know it all, to understand it better. What a blow to the ego! The most "in" crowd, the most knowledgeable and assured, were counseled to humbly accept their inadequate comprehension and to wait for the coming Spirit to reveal to them the truth, little by little. In fact, the one person in the Bible who comes across as the most ...

262. You're Fired!

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... as potentially fatal attacks on our very self. So of course, we now have yet another new reality show, another guilty pleasure we indulge in that revolves around the phrase "You're Fired!" Here's a show that broadcasts the most humiliating, ego-crunching, self-esteem destroying moment in anyone's life for the entertainment of others. On Fear Factor contestants spend a lot of time puking up atrocious and unmentionable concoctions they've tried to force down their throats. Yet their failure only testifies ...

263. It Is Also Blessed to Receive

John 13:1-17

Sermon

James McCormick

... out of very precious relationships. Once we begin receiving, we may be surprised at how much we have been missing, all because we have refused the gifts of others. I don’t know about you, but I have more difficulty in receiving than in giving. My giving feeds my ego. It makes me feel like a worthwhile person, and there is nothing wrong with that. But what is wrong is that I find it easier to help someone than to receive help from them. I find it very difficult to ask someone to do something for me. I don ...

264. We Need Help

John 14:15-31

Illustration

Brett Blair

... everyone, including Mayor Daly, was on the edge of their seat to hear what the proposal was. He turned the page and saw only these words: "You're on your own now, you great American hero." I don't know if Daly learned anything at that moment. With his great ego perhaps he did not. But he should have learned that all of us, no matter how great we think we are, need help. We need advocates who work behind the scenes to make us who we are. God has an advocate for you. He is the Holy Spirit.

265. Romans 7: 15-25a

Romans 7:7-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 7:15-25 may resonate with individuals, these same verses have sparked centuries of debate and dialogue within the church. The central question kicked around by church fathers, scholars, reformers, and congregations, focuses on the identification of the “I” (“ego”) in these texts. Is Paul speaking about his own personal experience? Or is this first person reference a metaphorical “I?” Tied to this identity issue is the question of whether Paul is describing the experience of an “I” before ...

266. Like a Good Neighbor, Jesus Is There

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

James Merritt

... start loving things and using people, you become a thief. Robert Raines, once prayed this prayer that sums up the philosophy of a thief: Lord, I size up other people in terms of what they can do for me; how they can further my program, feed my ego, satisfy my needs, give me strategic advantage. I exploit people ostensibly for your sake, but really for my own sake. Lord, I turn to you to get the inside track And obtain special favors, Your direction for my schemes, Your power for my projects, Your sanction ...

267. Matthew 14:22-33

Matthew 14:22-36

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... no religious significance. It is simply the heart-in-throat fear of some dead but not gone spirit that seems to lurk in every human soul. Jesus’ reassurance is then couched in the most basic, the most straightforward language imaginable. His exclamation “ego eimi” is the most common declaration of the self: “It is I.” Nothing special. No divine designs need to be imported onto this proclamation. It is simply a comforting announcement by Jesus to his frightened followers. At this point Matthew’s ...

268. Bountiful Faith: Two All Beef Patties, Special Sauce, Lettuce, Cheese, Pickles...Etc

2 Corinthians 9:6-11

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... gratitude, out of an awareness of God's overwhelming abundance, with over-flowing joy. It's the evidence of a bountiful faith. Now, I am not talking about living in extravagance or flaunting affluence, Donald Trump-style—that self-centered, self-congratulating, ego-endowed lifestyle. That's what the Bible calls just plain, old, down-to-earth greed. Bishop Will Willimon has a new book out called Sinning Like Christians: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins, and of course, he identifies greed as the ...

269. Moses: On the Manna Diet

Exodus 16:1-5

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... you mail in your computerized entry cards right now! What an offer! You can have it all, including the envy of your neighbors! What a contrast to God's promise of manna in the wilderness and the simplicity of Jesus' petition—not for wealth and ego satisfaction, not the jealous pride of your neighbors. Rather, God provides the basic necessities of life. Daily manna, daily bread…just enough. The context for Jesus' prayer is found in this Sermon on the Mount: Therefore, I tell you, don't be anxious about ...

270. Zechariah II: Thy Prayer is Heard

Luke 1:5-25

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... was thinking or what he was expecting that day, but if he is anything like most of the priests and preachers I know—including the one I know best—it was with a mix of emotions: anticipation, a touch of stage fright, and yes, a bit of ego thrown in; weighted with the concerns of the temple—budgets, staffing, differences of opinion, divorces, deaths; maybe worried more about whether his stole was right than he was about whether his soul was right; full of faith and full of doubt, all at the same time ...

271. Apostolic Instruction

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... people poked fun at them and many admired them. Along with Paul, their priorities were clear. The call to us is not to be anti-intellectual and irrational. It is one that bulldozes away the debris of impractical theology that tends either to appeal to the ego only or a certain onesideness, freezing out the easy to understand. Granted, there may be those who find this a veiled attempt to put down time-honored theological education. That in no shape or form is my purpose. Falling in love with the finer points ...

272. A Sure-Fire Way to End Burn Out

Isaiah 40:21-31

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... you now known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not grow faint or weary ..." (Isaiah 40:28). You see, you and I are limited by our physical realities, limited by our humanness, limited by our own egos and transient desires. But God is God. God is the Creator of the Universe. God doesn't burn out. God goes the distance and calls us to put the final results into God's hands. It is only when we can give it over to God that we begin to ...

273. Ashes for Remembering

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... We must be careful not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. We must beware of the dangers of acting as if we are the center of the universe with everything else spinning around us. We must be alert to the possibility of egos running amuck, self-centeredness spreading like a plague, and the infectious tendencies of the "Me Generation" making us sick unto death. On the other hand, the Joel passage reminds us that we mere mortals are God's children, made in God's image. Only children would ...

274. The Core of Hypocrisy

Matthew 23:1-39

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

The entertainment industry is an ego-driven affair populated by throngs of people who are full of themselves. As even actor Marlon Brando once observed, "The greatest love affairs I have ever witnessed took place with one actor, unassisted." Yet there is even so a kind of unspoken "code" among these people that says if you ...

275. Wounding Love

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... who proffers love'. And this, as it happens, is perhaps my own most central fear: that there is an unbreakable and intimate connection between love and death; between passion and violence; between sex and chaos; between intimacy and destruction of the ego...I am afraid of AIDS because it carries the imaginative delineations of my darkest fears. It is a living metaphor of my own vulnerabilities." ("Is Health a Gospel Imperative?" Embracing the Chaos: Theological Responses to AIDS, edited by James Woodward ...

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