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 276 to 300 of 635 results

276. Faith Working In Love

James 2:14-26

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... it may take a month before the baby is cleansed of the addiction that began in his mother's womb. A physician, a psychiatrist, a psychologist and a social worker have examined the infant and written a prescription the same one Mrs. Hale found by instinct 15 years ago, when she started cradling such drug-poisoned babies: lots of patience and calm, mixed with megadoses of love. Her cure works, but that is just the beginning of being one of "Mama Hale's children." (Claire Safran, The Reader's Digest, September ...

277. Turn in an Account of Your Stewardship

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... themselves in a crisis, or in a situation of overwhelming odds. And in that situation they use creative and ingenious schemes to gain some advantage or to make a fool out of their adversary. That’s why they are so popular. They appeal to that instinct in all of us that roots for the underdog. That is, unless we happen to be the top dog. Br’er Rabbit stories are trickster stories told by oppressed blacks in the Old South. Huckleberry Finn had something of the trickster in him. (Mark Trotter, “Jesus ...

278. The Discipleship Question: Do You Wish To Go Away?

John 6:60-71

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... when I experience a little consistency in my new life alone, the next rug I step on is pulled out from under me. Is this all a part of adjusting, or am I being humbled for some greater purpose? My faith is not strong enough to stand on. But my instinct to survive this lonely stretch of my life is so compelling that I'm able to leave the security of my past and go on. Why do my thoughts wake me up in the night, screaming out for paper and pen? There are so few answers, I've found. It ...

279. The Divine Opportunity

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... start again. Repent is one of the loveliest words in our language. It pays us human beings a sublime compliment, for it says that we can do something about the course we have taken. If we were nothing more than poor animals, we'd have to go the way our instincts demanded. But you and I, humans as we are, can repent. If we are on the wrong track, we can turn around, or get on another train. We may not be able to change what we've already done, and we may not be able to fully escape the consequences ...

280. Songs of the Season

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... even as derivations and deviations from the true theme, they carry some measure of the joy of the season. This isn't surprising because Christmas was born in the midst of songs. The Gospel of Luke says it most specifically, but many of us feel it instinctively. It seems inevitable that the words spoken by Gabriel to Mary, by Mary and by Zechariah in their occasions of rejoicing, by the angels to the shepherds, and by Simeon in the temple were sung. They are too exultant to be spoken without benefit of tune ...

281. God's Sneak Attack

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... by the gospel. A neighborhood that would never see a large illuminated cross on their yards will sport a half-dozen nativity scenes all lit up. Folks who pay little or no attention to church for eleven months of the year find themselves instinctively drawn back there during December. And families that practice no other devotional time together will light Advent wreaths and sing songs together as a family during this season of the year. I suppose nearly every local church pastor knows the experience of ...

282. Epiphany:The Joy of Fulfillment

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... the void in all the farflung instances of human longing. When medieval European artists painted the Holy Family, they usually painted them with typical German, Italian, or Flemish features. It was not imagination or prejudice which made them do so, but the instinctive feeling that Jesus belonged to them; he was one of their people. In our time, Christian artists in Africa and Asia paint the Holy Family with features and coloring appropriate to their world. Again, it is because they feel that Jesus belongs ...

283. Saints in Shorts

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... , a friend. And when someone has dealt my ego a blow, whether accidentally or quite intentionally, what shall be my response? Egos, by their fallen nature, tend to be quite big and very sensitive. They beg, therefore, to be defended and avenged. And so my instinct when I am struck, in whatever form, is to strike back in kind. It seems that the reasonable ethic for Jesus to teach, then, might be that I should just walk away. Swallow my pride, bridle my tongue, sheathe my desire for vindication, and just ...

284. Whether You'll Weather the Weather

Luke 6:46-49

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... the story of two men, each of whom builds a house. The two men make different choices, and their stories have different endings. Please note, though, that the two men are more alike than they are different. We might miss that fact, for our natural instinct is to focus on their differences. Before we can appreciate their differences, though, we ought first to take a measure of their similarities. The first great similarity is in the weather. The one man, you remember, builds his house on a foundation of rock ...

285. Homesick For a Future: New Life for the New Millenium

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... that his two front teeth were missing. But more striking was his odor – the mixture of alcohol, sweat, urine, and garbage took my breath away. I have been around many street people, but this was the strongest stench I have ever encountered. I instinctively had to turn my head sideways to inhale, then look back in this direction while breathing out. I asked his name. “David,” he said softly. “How long have you been homeless, David?” “Six years.” “Where did you sleep last night?” “In an ...

286. Awake to Glory

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... in his communion with God, through Jesus Christ. It was at such a time that he was "fully awake." Most of us are too quick to downgrade our faith perceptions. We seem to feel that the things we can touch and handle are the only realities; and we are instinctively skeptical of that which we get by faith. We always say that love is blind; but a thoughtful woman who was very much in love once replied, "No, love isn't blind. Quite the opposite. It has the ability to see some things others cannot see." The same ...

287. The Work of An Evangelist

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

288. Staying Alive All Your Ministry Life: Will You Finish Well?

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... when I experience a little consistency in my new life alone, the next rug I step on is pulled out from under me. Is this all a part of adjusting, or am I being humbled for some greater purpose? My faith is not strong enough to stand on. But my instinct to survive this lonely stretch of my life is so compelling that I’m able to leave the security of my past and go on. Why do my thoughts wake me up in the night, screaming out for paper and pen? There are so few answers, I’ve found. It ...

289. The Work of An Evangelist

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

290. In the Wilderness With Moses

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... s true. The CEO driven by excessive greed is only being human. The husband or wife unfaithful to their marriage partner is only being human. But there is another angle to being human and that is we are able to choose. We don’t have to give into our baser instincts. We can choose that which is right and good. If we turn to God, God will give us the ability to resist the Tempter. This is serious business. Our very souls are at stake, as well as the influence we have on others. Have you ever heard the name ...

291. The Way Up Is the Way Down

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... , notes that Patrick's love for the Irish "shines through his writings . . . He [worried] constantly for his people, not just for their spiritual but for their physical welfare." Through Patrick, God converted thousands. Cahill writes, "Only this former slave had the right instincts to impart to the Irish a New Story, one that made sense of all their old stories and brought them a peace they had never known before." Because of Patrick and his witness, and his long preparation before his witness, a warrior ...

292. Children in the Arms of a Loving God

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Michael Milton

... from Jesus. It was common for parents to bring children to a rabbi for the touch, and we might suppose that this is what was happening, but there is also something deeper. Every one knows that parents want the best for their children. There is also a parental instinct that recognizes that so much of life is out of our control and we need God to protect and bless our children. A number of years ago in another church, I was seeking to share Christ with a family and to show them the importance of being in ...

293. Thank God for Dads

Galatians 2:11-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... teacher. “Is it all right if she carries a golf bag while we walk?” he asked. Again, I am stereotyping. There are many sensitive, caring men in the world. But it is also true that many men grow up fighting for a place in the sun. Their first instinct is to be competitive, to look out for number one. This causes them to be insular. If you let others get too close they can find weaknesses. In other words there is much in the classic male makeup that works against being a loving mate and a loving parent ...

294. Let's Get Serious

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I confess that I have been struggling on how to approach this sermon this morning. We are coming into the season where we talk about stewardship and ask that you consider what your support to the Church will be in the next year. My instinct on these matters is always to be non-direct. But the gospel lesson for this morning, you heard it, makes it hard to do that. It is anything but non-direct. It is one of Jesus' shorter parables, just a few lines. It begins with the question, "What do you ...

295. Where's the Fire?

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... a social dimension, as well. You suppress any class of people, you suppress any race, deny them a voice, and in time that rage will build up and explode in violence. The same thing happened with Moses, who in the face of the suffering of the Jews, instinctively strikes out in anger, and now must face the consequences. In that event Moses chose sides. He was no longer an Egyptian prince, he is now one with the Jewish slaves. He fled Egypt for his life, crossed the Red Sea, went into the desert, a fugitive ...

296. The God of Lost Sheep

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... you know, don’t you? Years ago, Caryll Houselander wrote some beautiful and disturbing words in the book, The Reed of God: "If ever you have loved anyone very deeply, and then lost him through separation, estrangement, or even by death, you will know that there is an instinct to look for him in every crowd. The human heart is not reasonable; it will go on seeking for those whom it loves even when they are dead. It will miss a beat when someone passes by who bears them the least resemblance; a tilt of the ...

297. A Gift for You

Romans 1:1-7

Sermon

James L. Killen

... to be saints. That is the gift God has chosen for each of us. That is what God wants for you because God loves you. Now you see what I meant when I said you might not want to open that package. When Paul mentions being saints, some of us instinctively begin to back away and start singing that old Bob Dylan song, "No, no, no, it ain't me, babe. It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe." Sure, we want to be Christians. We want to do whatever we must to know we won't go to hell ...

298. Heaping Coals and Virtues

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... to rejoice at the good news of another. It is also fairly simple to join in sympathy with others who are suffering. These reactions are natural and present everyone with opportunities to share with others at times of great joy and sorrow. While the basic instinct to share with others is present in everyone, as Christians we need to be attentive to nurturing the tendency and helping it to grow into the strong ability to be helpful to others in both times of joy and sorrow. "Persevere in prayer." It might ...

299. Serpents and Other Signs

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... described that scene, and said this to us. "In spite of all of the differences between me and my son, I saw in that moment who he really is." We look for signs. Signs reveal to us the deeper meaning of life. Pope John Paul has an instinct for signs. You probably noticed that. He knows that his presence in a certain place is going to change that situation. Recently, a few weeks ago, he visited Palestine, visiting both the Palestinians and the Arabs, as well as the Christians and the Jews. It was a sign ...

300. The Burglar's Christmas

Luke 15:22-24

Drama

Matthew Powell

... and other people, that some day I would be recognized and it would all come right. Narrator 2: But he knew better than that now, and he was still man enough to bear no grudge against anyone. Narrator 1: Tonight was his birthday, too. He instinctively began to remember all the birthday parties he used to have. He was so cold and empty that his mind seemed unable to grapple with any serious questions. He kept thinking about gingerbread and frosted cakes, like a child. (Narrators return to their stools) Will ...

Showing results

Showing 276 to 300 of 635 results

276. Faith Working In Love

James 2:14-26

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

277. Turn in an Account of Your Stewardship

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

278. The Discipleship Question: Do You Wish To Go Away?

John 6:60-71

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

279. The Divine Opportunity

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

280. Songs of the Season

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

281. God's Sneak Attack

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

David J. Kalas

282. Epiphany:The Joy of Fulfillment

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

283. Saints in Shorts

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

David J. Kalas

284. Whether You'll Weather the Weather

Luke 6:46-49

Sermon

David J. Kalas

285. Homesick For a Future: New Life for the New Millenium

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

286. Awake to Glory

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

287. The Work of An Evangelist

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

288. Staying Alive All Your Ministry Life: Will You Finish Well?

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... when I experience a little consistency in my new life alone, the next rug I step on is pulled out from under me. Is this all a part of adjusting, or am I being humbled for some greater purpose? My faith is not strong enough to stand on. But my instinct to survive this lonely stretch of my life is so compelling that I’m able to leave the security of my past and go on. Why do my thoughts wake me up in the night, screaming out for paper and pen? There are so few answers, I’ve found. It ...

289. The Work of An Evangelist

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

290. In the Wilderness With Moses

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

291. The Way Up Is the Way Down

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill