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 2726 to 2750 of 4340 results

2726. A-wake or A-live

Galatians 2:15-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... preaching a kind of serial sermon, in which he told stories about average men and women and the kinds of situations and challenges they might find themselves facing in their ordinary lives. The question Sheldon put on the lips of his fictional sermonic characters and the question he posed to his own parishioners was this: "What would Jesus do" in these same circumstances? This serial sermon or spiritual soap opera hit just the right note with his people. They were curious enough about the next "installment ...

2727. The Cream of the Crop, or The Skimmed Milk of the Earth

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... places to be seen, the "best" church in town, the driving force in our lives? One of the most shocking aspects of Jesus' advice to his host was his admonition to invite "the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind" (v.13). This cast of characters hardly even rated the designation of "humble" people in most cases, they were actually outcasts and outlaws. According to the law, such people were not even legally permitted to go into God's holy presence (see Leviticus 21:17-23). Inviting these lowest of the ...

2728. Do Not Grow Weary in Well-Doing

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... living "wasteland lives." He said that they are "just baffled; they're wandering in the wasteland without any sense of where the water is - the Source that makes things green." In Tom Wolfe's novel The Bonfire of the Vanities, one of the leading characters, celebrated Wall Street bond broker Sherman McCoy, finds his carefully accumulated life unraveling when he is accused of a hit-and-run accident. Reflecting on the massive desertion of friends and associates in his time of crisis, he says to his lawyer: It ...

2729. Living without Hope

Luke 2:21-40

Illustration

Tom Marcum

... many can’t imagine anything worth living for. He said, and I paraphrase, “Mr. Limbaugh, The Great Depression and WWII created terrible hardships. But I submit to you that the greatest hardship of all is living without hope.” I agree. It's harder to develop character in affluence than it is hardship. All the more reason why young people need to see what Simeon saw: My eyes have seen your salvation, Which you have prepared in the sight of all people, A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory ...

2730. 1 John 4:7-12

1 John 4:7-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to the voice of the Spirit, even when it calls him onto a deserted highway in the middle of a barren land. Yet Philip's "pruning" has just begun. Down the wilderness highway, traveling directly into Philip's path, came a most unlikely character, an Ethiopian eunuch who was also a powerful and influential individual. When Philip is directed to approach him, he meets this situation with enthusiasm, "running" to catch the eunuch in his chariot. The events that follow give Philip a chance to incarnate Christ ...

2731. Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the same allowances for the neighbor that we do for ourselves. Understanding what motivates the neighbor's actions and what causes the weaknesses, strengths, wants, desires, follies, and foibles of the neighbor - that is loving neighbors as ourselves. The unique character of this particular scribe among all the others in Mark is made apparent by his reply to Jesus' words. The scribe wholeheartedly agrees with Jesus' insight and then goes on to apply to it an associated addition that these right attitudes ...

2732. John 18:33-37

John 18:33-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of his death approaches. John's penchant for irony lies behind his recording here of Pilate's final words. The official invested with the most civil authority and power is shown to be the least certain, the most floundering and confused of all the characters when he utters, "What is the truth?" Under pressure from the surrounding factions and forces, Pilate will ultimately acquiesce in the mob's majority vote, despite the fact that in verse 38 he honestly declares, "I find no case against him." Pilate fails ...

2733. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a definition of love but a description of the ways of love. Verses 4, 5 and 6 create a kind of negative confession, a popular ancient confessional form. Note again that while we, and the Corinthians, naturally assume that the attributes Paul lists describe the character of Christ, the list is just as applicable to God. A Jewish audience subscribing to the affirmation that "God is love" could find Paul's list perfectly proper. The final style change in this unit takes place at verse 8. Paul now abandons the ...

2734. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... conviction that such a separate appearance had taken place. The further reference to "the twelve" served to distinguish them from the rest of the faithful as well. At verse 6 the style of the text changes to a distinctly Pauline character, indicating that the catalogue of information on the remaining "appearances" is supplied by Paul himself. These additions to the traditional confession create an impressive line-up of post-resurrection witnesses. It seems that although Paul knows that the gospel has been ...

2735. John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... image after image (John is also called the "I-Am" Gospel), appealing to a visual culture where the perceptual is more galvanizing and mobilizing than the conceptual. Third, it revels in a pervasive irony and reveals a double vision (what the biblical characters see, and what we know must be seen) which speaks to postmodernity's affinity for irony and play. Lastly, it draws from both ancient and contemporary Jewish Scriptures and proves Judaism's extensive drinking at Hellenistic wells. John Ashton's superb ...

2736. Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of this quarter's Gospel readings are from Luke - a fact that makes focusing on any of the other weekly texts quite difficult, for Luke is one of history's most masterful storytellers. Thoroughly steeped in Jewish Scripture, Luke's descriptions are so vital, his characters so pungent, his scenes so artfully set, that our whole being is drawn into the flair and fascination of these stories. It is no surprise that Luke's Gospel is most commonly read at Christmas, or that our most beloved parables are found in ...

2737. Colossians 3:1-11

Colossians 3:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... holds that there are as many commandments and prohibitions in the law as the body has members. The vices or negatives sketch out to the reader what a Christian is not. First, individual traits (v.5), typically identified as "pagan" in character, are listed: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed. The writer follows these with five more negatives (verse 8) that are evils that emerge when humans live in community with one another: anger, wrath, malice, slander and abusive language. The double ...

2738. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and hospitality to brothers and sisters from strange lands and unknown towns helped establish at the outset a strong network of connective tissue among Christians across the entire region. By successfully establishing a loving openness as a dominant character trait, Christianity escaped the pitfall of becoming just another isolated, idiosyncratic faith community of the first century. Having established love of self, sibling and stranger, the writer now presents one last test of true phil¡a. Christian love ...

2739. 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... will separate his spirit from his body. But as verse 7 implies, Paul's purposeful (purpose-filled) life is now to culminate in an equally purposeful (purpose-filled) death. In the face of expected death Paul uses three phrases to encapsulate the quality and character of his life: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." These words, of course, echo his previous athletic imagery in 1 Corinthians 9:24ff. Even as sports dominates our headlines and heartbeats today, the ...

2740. Colossians 1:11-20

Colossians 1:11-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... surprising that now the ebullient behavior urged in verses 1 and 2 is channeled into a more dignified and humbling response. The delivered are called upon to "bow down" and to "kneel before our Maker" - clearly distinguishing the previous free-form, free-for-all character of a simple outpouring of praise from the more formal worship of God's supreme divinity. Verse 7 serves as a hinge between the first part of Psalm 95, which focuses on praise and worship, and its second half (verses 8-11) which contains ...

2741. Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... " when he discovered she was already pregnant, not only would Jesus have been illegitimate in the eyes of his culture, but, according to Matthew, he would have been without the validity of a Davidic heritage. In verse 19 Matthew sketches Joseph's character as one that is "righteous" as well as compassionate - for he was "unwilling to expose [Mary] to public disgrace." But it is in verse 20 that Matthew reveals what he considers Joseph's most praiseworthy characteristic - obedience to God and acceptance of ...

2742. Matthew 2:13-23

Matthew 2:13-18, Matthew 2:19-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to get to the baby, they now furtively slip away to their own lands, as though they too were fugitives from Herod's wrath. Verse 13 begins with these Magi disappearing into the night as mysteriously as they had come. Now one of Matthew's favorite characters makes yet another appearance. An "angel of the Lord" once again visits Joseph with a message. Consider Joseph's possible frame of mind. His wife has just given birth to a son, a child whose conception was so unusual that Joseph's first experience with an ...

2743. 1 Samuel 16:1-13

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... A transitional figure himself, Samuel combines the solid role of judge with the fluid role of seer, eventually growing into arguably the first of the true prophetic figures. The events Samuel finds himself in the midst of are as changeable as his own character. In the face of Israel's greatest threat - the Philistine army - Samuel oversees the establishment of Israel's greatest experiment - the monarchy. Samuel brings the tradition of the Judges to a close when at the Lord's command (9:16), he anoints Saul ...

2744. John 11:1-45

John 11:1-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... same time, to hold in the heart the clues given here for future reference and elaboration. From its exalted mid-point position, this story spreads its fingers of influence backward and forward throughout John's gospel. The story portrays numerous characters with distinct and active roles. We are first introduced to the Bethany family of Lazarus, Martha and Mary. An immediate emotional connection is made between this family and Jesus - a connection which reveals a part of Jesus' selfhood the gospel writer ...

2745. Matthew 20:1-16

Matthew 20:1-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the special creativity and uniqueness of Jesus' own insights and teachings. Matthew introduces this parable into his gospel with his traditional "The kingdom of heaven is like . . ." formula. The first seven verses of this parable slowly and dramatically lay out all the characters and details of this story. The landowner Jesus describes is a "hands-on" kind of executive. He is probably only moderately well-off, for although he is capable of hiring many day laborers, the owner himself makes the trip to the ...

2746. Judges 4:1-7

Judges 4:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and especially geographic) that points to the fact that considerable redaction work took place within these texts at much later dates. Thus, there are discrepancies in such particulars as the number of tribes that participated in the battle, the physical movements of the main characters, and the identities of some of the actors. One of the redactor's apparent mistakes is the reference in 4:2 to Jabin as the king of Canaan. In the Song of Deborah, the text correctly speaks of the "kings of Canaan" (5:19 ...

2747. Jeremiah 1:4-10

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Jeremiah has always held a special appeal. He is a vision of strength and commitment yet is a somewhat sorrowful character with whom it is easy to sympathize. Perhaps the reason Jeremiah has always found favor is that two basic factors have always defined life _ things always change and people don't like change. Nearly all people can look at their own age, their own times, and deplore the fact ...

2748. Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... second son should not be viewed as some later insertion into the story (vv.25-32), but is the critical second half of the whole truth contained in this parable. Admittedly, when the parable opens, all the focus is on the younger son. As the most active character in the story at this time, the younger son goes to his father and demands "the share of the property that will belong to me." There is considerable debate over whether, legally, a son could make this claim on his still-living father's estate. While ...

2749. John 21:1-19

John 21:1-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... night (John 18:17, 25, 27), he is now allowed to announce his love for Jesus the same number of times (21:15, 16, 17). Each of Peter's previous failures is now erased by his admissions of love. But while this rehabilitation of Peter's character might have been helpful to some members of the Johannine community reading this gospel, the author intends this conversation to be pointed also toward the future, not just the past. In the vocabulary employed here by the author, there is both an issue and a non ...

2750. Galatians 3:23-29

Galatians 3:23-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... " implies a state of fellowship or union together with Christ of all believers. Paul describes those who have experienced this baptism as being "clothed with Christ." The metaphor itself intends to suggest more than a mere exterior layer, but to "take on the character of" or "to become as" Christ himself. Thus baptized into Christ, we become one with Christ, and thus, are united in a bond of fellowship stronger than any other existing force. Paul's excitement over the power of this baptismal unity becomes ...

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