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 2776 to 2800 of 4952 results

2776. The Confessions of a Younger Brother

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

... away, and gone up on a mountain to wait for the world to come to an end. I didn’t tell anyone about it, but I was intrigued by that event. I even remembered the name of the group, the mountain and the date they expected the great happening. I thought about it when I was shaving that morning. That’s the kind of super extravanganza, headline-grabbing revelation that I want to experience. I want a special word from God. Anyhow, the rich man knows me like a book because I am just like him. I’ll bet he ...

2777. God Is Good But Not Easy

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

... and who was cursing. When the doctor looked directly at the father, he could understand the words. The man was addressing God and cursing God. In one obscene line after another, in the style of Salieri, he was telling God what he thought of God. The doctor was never certain, but he always thought that this hurt and disappointed father was so angry at God because he felt God had let him down. He had made a bargain with God for his son’s life, and now death was obvious. In despair the father cursed his ...

2778. Parable of Stringed Music and Soul Whispers

Malachi 3:6-18

Illustration

... than lips may say. Of souls that hide behind the scenes And whisper only when we pray. We travel through the life that's here, Conversing on a hundred things. And deep beneath the busy days The soul of what we are takes wings. We leave unspoken finest thoughts Of love, and friendship, wisdom's way And hasten on in endless work Denying what we are within -- a soul that prays. But music offered on the strings Somehow causes us to pause And meditate upon the power That moves us with a holy cause. The tune-up ...

2779. Parable of the Brain and Your Religion

John 14:1-4

Illustration

... your brain and your attitude toward others." It is true that different parts of our body are directed by different parts of our brain, having different functions to control. It is true, also, that "man cannot live by bread alone." If we fill our mind with evil thoughts, we have committed our lives to enmity with God and enmity with our selves. We are all our own worst enemy, doing things to ourselves that others cannot or would not do. We should be our own best friends in doing what is right. If we treat ...

2780. Religion - One Way to Get in God’s Way

Zechariah 7:1-14

Sermon

... the breadth of our action and doing that it is utterly inclusive and non-restrictive, not only the brother or the sister with whom we have a close family relationship, but the widow, the fatherless, the alien, the poor. Gone from Zechariah’s thinking are any such thoughts as, "As soon as I am doing well, then..., as long as my family is doing well, then..., or once the unemployment rate drops to 10 percent, we need not bother, or the trickle-down economic theory works. If we take care of the rich, we hope ...

2781. The Second Sunday in Lent

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Kendall McCabe

... and they give meaning to all that comes after them. They didn't seem too important at the time, or else they were important in a way we never understood until later. It must have been like that for Peter and James and John as they thought back on their experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was a significant moment, all right, no doubt about that. Jesus, radiating with that pulsating glow like something from a Spielberg movie. Moses and Elijah, back from the dead, dropping in for a chat with their ...

2782. The Resurrection of Our Lord

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Kendall McCabe

... had been laid in the tomb and a great stone had been rolled in front of the entrance. Now the stone had been rolled back and the grave was apparently empty. What could have happened? What enemy could have done this? What has stolen the faith I thought I had, the faith I so carefully watched over, wrapped in my handkerchief, and kept nestled in a favorite drawer? What enemy named education, tragedy, or wealth or whatever, has stolen my faith from me? One thing, at least, is clear. Mary was not expecting the ...

2783. The Second Sunday of Easter

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Kendall K. McCabe

... finally become hysterical with grief and tried to tell them she had seen the gardener who turned out to be Jesus, or some such thing. Another fine mess he's got us into, they might have thought, like that time the storm arose when we were rowing to Capernaum. Only then he was at least alive and able to show up and save us. We only thought he was a ghost. Now he'd have to be one! And then, suddenly, in spite of the locked doors, Jesus himself was standing there and assuring them of his peace in the midst of ...

2784. The Seventh Sunday of Easter

John 17:1-5

Sermon

Kendall McCabe

... " to worship, so it was a new idea to them, as to us, that one might worship a Being who doesn't delight in driving people around and being the Big Bully in the sky. It becomes a topsy-turvy world when the God we thought we were worshiping turns out to be an imposter! Here we thought we were worshiping a God who keeps a finger on the button, so if anyone slips up too badly, KA-BOOM! But what we find we have on our hands is a naked man hanging on a cross, the symbol of ultimate shame and ...

2785. Preaching Your Life

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

... story has to be added. The purpose of preaching is to tell you that portion of your story lived by Christ. A dignified elderly lady first helped me see this. A few Sundays after I was installed in my first parish, I preached a sermon which I thought had all the marks of great oration - at times witty, at times forceful, with pacing and grammar impeccable. After the service this lady came to me and, with a single phrase, both deflated and inspired me. "Pastor," she said, "we would see Christ." We would see ...

2786. Repent!

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

... God's love and forgiveness, I found myself, also, speaking of my admiration for him. In looking deeply at himself and his failures, he had risked much. Maybe this admirable courage is why I was a little humbled when I walked out of that prison. Next time I thought of life behind wire cages and steel doors, I would not be so quick to condemn and fear. Repentance is not a common word in our vocabulary. Confessing your sins and promising to go straight is a rare quality in prison. It's almost as rare in many ...

2787. God in a Glimpse

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

... , monks like the Essenes. Everyone talked to and about God, so real was he to them. But God seems so quiet today. We pray for something, do not get it, and wonder if the Divine Giver is real. We watch science move steadily forward, conquering frontiers we thought belonged only to God, and we wonder just what is God's and where. We see world events lurch along chaotically, tragically, and we wonder if anyone up there is in control. Is there a Divine plan? Is there even a Divine Power? Well, the Bible says ...

2788. The Preposterous Prescription

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

... heal people of leprosy. The prophet Elisha rescued the king from his dilemma. When he learned how distraught the king was, he invited the king to send the Syrian commander to him, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel. I wonder what Naaman thought when he pulled up his horses and chariot in front of the dwelling of Elisha. He might have felt better if it were a large, modern, spacious hospital. It was a real disappointment when a servant came out with the terse command, "Go and wash in the ...

2789. The Cracked Crystal Ball

Jeremiah 28:1-17

Sermon

... ordeal, he tried to convince the others of what he had seen and been through. He urged them to rebel or to try to escape from the men who would take them away. Some believed him, others thought he was crazy, some wanted to see for themselves. Her son was one who couldn’t quite believe all this. He wanted to see for himself. He thought if it was true, then he would be prepared. He said to himself, "... the one I will charge is The Man With The Hammer. I’ll put Him and His Hammer out of the way forever ...

2790. Authority Through Servanthood

Matthew 20:20-28, Matthew 20:17-19

Sermon

Dean Lueking

... be the teacher for two minutes. There I stood, where she always stood. I could ask the whole class a question and see the hands shoot up. Then I could choose who would answer. It was dazzling for me to be able to choose from all those hands. I thought that was what being a teacher was mainly about, and it was a delicious sense of power that had suddenly seeped into my nine-year-old mind. But what was happening to me had nothing to do with being a teacher, and everything to do with enjoying ordering others ...

2791. Believing Is Seeing

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Dean Lueking

... us an example to follow. His witness is a powerful and relevant commentary on this text. During the past week some of us have been rejoicing in blessings, others groaning under burdens. Whatever the case, this Sunday has nothing to do with post-Easter letdown. The very thought of it is totally out of order. Instead it has everything to do with believing the Easter texts, and seeing the Easter faces of people with whom we serve out our calling. Texts and faces. Take both to heart as we think of our part in ...

2792. That They May Be One

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Dean Lueking

... correct his impressions, but he took it with good humor and enjoyed a laugh on himself. As we came to the Tokyo Central Station we got off together and shook hands before parting. He took my hand firmly in his own and said, "We’ll meet again, you know ..." I thought about his sentence as I went on to my appointment. Where will we meet? Not in Japan. Nor in Scotland or the U.S.A. No, we will meet again in the church triumphant as we all gather about the throne of God to praise him forever! This hour in ...

2793. The Miracle Of an Opened Mind

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Dean Lueking

... the preparation proceeded, until the area of the skull immediately over the diseased section was opened and laid back. Then it was visible - the brain. It is a sight to inspire awe. I mention it to you for that reason, not to make our stomach queasy at the thought. The brain is the most complex of all the things that God has created; nothing in the entire universe can match it. The brain weighs just over three pounds I am told. It can be held in one hand. Yet there are literally billions of cells and cell ...

2794. Loosed from the Pangs of Death

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

... person dying was unready to deal with their reality, but the family was not. As a matter of fact, one family left the church because I did not ask their permission and went ahead and talked with the person about dying. I thought we had had a good visit, but the man’s wife thought I was cruel rather than compassionate. Others have been grateful to have someone who could talk with a dying person about the reality of where they were in life, to remove some of their fear by reassuring them of the validity of ...

2795. Our Best Example

Luke 2:41-52

Children's Sermon

... use it to help others. How many of these volunteers would you think are wise? [Get some of the group reaction.] That's very interesting. Not everybody thinks that we have the wisest people for volunteers. Well, just in case, let me give you an old philosophy book with the thoughts of the wisest men in the world written in it. Now let's see what else our volunteers must be like. I know, they must be liked by others. How do we know when others like us? What is something that we can do to help other people to ...

2796. A Lesson from Jesus

John 8:48-59

Children's Sermon

... I am good looking. My mirror [hold up the mirror] thinks that I am very good looking. The other day I asked Minnie Mirror if she thought that I was the best looking pastor she had ever seen and she said "yes." Good old Minnie is quite a friend, isn't she? ... forget to brush their teeth. But the mirror will only tell you what you want it to tell you. People used to ask Jesus who he thought he was and he told them that he was whatever his Father in heaven wanted him to be. People used to get upset with him when ...

2797. A Public Opinion Poll

Matthew 22:41-46

Children's Sermon

... used to have public opinion polls? He did! One day he asked some people what they thought about some questions such as, "What is your opinion about the Messiah? Whose son is he?" Another time he asked his disciples, "Who do the people think I am?" Jesus ... wanted to know what people thought so that he could speak with them and answer their questions. Jesus knew it was very important to answer our questions about God, ...

2798. ADVENT 1

Jeremiah 33:1-26, Luke 21:5-38, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon Aid

... made aware of the terminal. Outline: Consider the end - a. The certainty of the end - v. 36 b. The signs of the end - vv. 25, 26 c. The preparation for the end - vv. 34-36 3. The End - Let It Come! (21:25-36). Need: At the thought of the Parousia, most people are filled with dread and fear. We picture the situation as one of horrible destruction, suffering, and extinction. The return of Christ means also judgment and the sending of the "goats" to hell. For Christians, however, the Parousia is something to ...

2799. Easter 6

Jn 14:23-29 · Acts 14:8-18; 15:1-2, 22-29 · Rev 21:10, 22-27

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... we have lost the concept of heaven as a future place for Christians. In a previous generation many of our hymns were about heaven and sermons invariably referred to the hope of heaven. Today we are occupied with either the past or the present. We give little thought to the future. We are the "Now" generation, we want pie on earth, not in the sky. We "eat, drink, and are merry," for there is no tomorrow. We build barns of affluence to the neglect of the soul. We exploit and waste natural resources not caring ...

2800. Proper 17

Lk 14:1, 7-14 · Heb 12:18-19, 22-24; 13:1-8 · Eze 18:1-9, 25-29 · Prov 25:6-22

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... ). Apparently there were no place cards as is usually done at a formal dinner. People had to find a place at the tables(s). Where should one sit? It was up to the guests. The place chosen indicated what they thought of themselves, how important they were and what position they thought they deserved. The guests went for the highest and most honorable places probably at the head where the host and hostess as well as Jesus were seated. Their choice of a primary place revealed their pride. 3. Repaid (vv. 12, 14 ...

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