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 2976 to 3000 of 4456 results

2976. Refusing to Quit

2 Timothy 4:5-8

Sermon

James McCormick

Years ago, a Midwestern University unveiled a plaque honoring an undistinguished alumnus. During his college years, this alumnus had participated in a variety of campus activities, but he had never been president of any organization. For four years he had gone out for football, but he had never made the first team or played in an important game. His scholastic average was in the B’s. When World War I came, he served in a minor capacity in a medical unit, and one day met his death trying to help a wounded ...

2977. Where a Cross Should Be Worn

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

King Duncan

The Rev. Timothy J. Kennedy tells a wonderful true story that is perfect for Ash Wednesday. It was told to him by a colleague, Pastor Chris Mietlowski. It concerned a baptism that Mietlowski once performed on an infant named Eric. Mietlowski took Eric in his arms and traced the cross of Christ on Eric’s forehead using a special anointing oil. Following worship, Eric’s family celebrated with a big backyard party. Family and friends ate burgers and chips and played volleyball under a summer sun. Eric, being ...

2978. Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

John 20:24-31, John 20:19-23

Sermon

Mike Ripski

Last Sunday was glorious. Brass and timpani. Stirring music. Lilies and caladiums. A full sanctuary. The Hallelujah Chorus. Was it just a dream? If what we celebrated seven days ago was true, where is everybody today? It’s enough to make you wonder. Even make you doubt. Could it be that those of us who have gathered for what is called “Low Sunday” – are we just fooling ourselves? The disciples likely wondered the same thing. It is Easter evening. They have gathered in a house and locked the doors. They ...

2979. Advent 3

Psalm 126:1-6, Isaiah 61:1-11, John 1:6-8, 19-28, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 126 First Lesson—The prophet brings glad tidings of relief and renewal. Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Second Lesson—Paul urges cautious optimism as Christians give thanks and pray while waiting for the second coming of Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 Gospel—John the Baptist, though a lesser light, is a light widening the eyes of people to see the brighter light of the Christ. John 1:6-8, 19-28 CALL TO WORSHIP Pastor: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you ...

2980. Lent 5

Psalm 126:1-6, Isaiah 43:14-28, John 12:1-11, Philippians 3:4b-14

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 126 First Lesson—The prophet cites past achievements of God on behalf of Israel as signs of hope for new things yet to come. Isaiah 43:16-21 Second Lesson—Paul as well as the prophet wants us to look ahead and reach ahead toward goals not yet reached. Philippians 3:4b-14 Gospel—The death of Jesus is imminent and his body is anointed with a costly perfume as a sign of love by Mary. John 12:1-8 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also ...

2981. Proper 15

Genesis 45:1-28, Psalm 133:1-3, Matthew 15:1-20, Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter - Psalms 133:1-3 First Lesson - Joseph forgoes vengeance for forgiveness and largesse. Genesis 45:1-15 Second Lesson - Paul praises the wideness of God's mercy. Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 Gospel - Jesus teaches that purity has more to do with the heart than with the hands, with the spirit than with the external. Matthew 15:10-28 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Mark my teaching, O my people, listen to the words I am ...

2982. Does Jesus Have a Health Plan?

James 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Back-to-school time is lay-down-the law time. As all the kids go back to school, Moms and Dads are busy laying down the ground rules to help make it a successful year. Little ones get instructions on crossing the street, holding hands, and eating their lunch. Middle-school kids get cautionary tales about bullying behavior, harder homework, and budgeting their time. High school students get lectures on safe driving, curfews, and the looming threat/promise of college — which means “buck down and buckle-down ...

2983. Guided by the Spirit

John 16:12-15

Sermon

David R. Cartwright

There are two main ways to go about teaching someone something. You can teach them what you think they need to know, or may need to know sometime later on. Or you can teach them what you think they're ready to understand at the moment. These two approaches are the basic ways of going about teaching. But sometimes these two methods can come into conflict. I began my ministry as an associate minister in charge of youth and education. It was the typical associate position. It did not take me long to learn ...

2984. Father, Forgive Them!

Luke 23:33-43

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

Each of the gospel accounts of the crucifixion has its own peculiarity. Luke presents the trial of Jesus in a way that points fingers directly at the Jewish leaders involved. Luke goes out of his way to make sure we understand that the Jewish leaders are the ones who frame the charges against Jesus. It is they who insist he be crucified. Luke also is careful to make sure that we understand that the Roman governmental officials find no reason for Jesus to be prosecuted. It is important to recognize that it ...

2985. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Luke 23:32-46

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There's an old story about three men who were friends. They attended college together. And even went to grad schools in the same town. One became a Lawyer, one became a Tax Accountant and the other became a Preacher. The Lawyer and the Accountant were members of the Preachers church. Over the years, they maintained their close friendship. One of the things that held them together was mutual respect and their sense of humor. The Preacher particularly liked calling his friends the Pharisee and the Money ...

2986. Living In ‘Oddville’ With ‘Peculiar’ People

Romans 12:1-2, 19-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

As that little game show opening points out, we have a hard time distinguishing who's a Christian and who isn't. It seems that Christians have developed the ability to blend in so well with the rest of society that it's hard to distinguish us from the rest of the world. In the John 15:19, Jesus says, "If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own....you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world...." Eugene Peterson's The Message might make that a little clearer ...

2987. A Chance To Help

John 6:1-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Paul Harvey told about a 3-year-old boy who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered she had certain instructions for the little boy: "Now you're not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, today, so don't even ask." She put him in the cart and off they went up and down the aisles. He was doing just fine until they came to the cookie section. Seeing all those chocolate chip cookies was just too much and he said, "Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies?" Mom said, "I told you not ...

2988. A Chance To Dance

Luke 5:17-25

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

He was born Fredrick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska in 1899. His stage and film career spanned a total of seventy-six years, during which he made thirty-one movie musical. He's generally acknowledged to have been the most influential dancer in the history of film and television. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute. In 1932, a Hollywood talent agent made this note on his screen test: "Can't act. Can't sing. Can dance a little." The screen test was clearly ...

2989. Blessed To Be A Blessing

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Once there was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it would be a long trip to where God lived, so he packed a suitcase full of Twinkies and cans of root beer (his two favorite foods) and set off on his journey. He had only gone a few blocks when he passed an older woman, sitting on a park bench and just staring at some pigeons. She looked sad and lonely, so the boy went over and sat down next to her. He opened his suitcase, took out a package of the Twinkies and offered it to her. She gratefully ...

2990. Getting It Right

Romans 5:1-8

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Have you ever noticed that, no matter what, that some people just always get it wrong? Paul Harvey, in his book FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, tells about a county jail in south Florida where jail officials found a plastic trash bag hanging to the bars of a cell. Inside was Jimmy Jones, a prisoner who hoped he'd get taken out with the trash. And he might have, except for one thing, during roll call his reflexes took over. When the name Jimmy Jones was called... From inside the bag came a muffled response: "Here." It ...

2991. Hope in a Plain Brown Wrapper

Luke 1:47-55

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

When I was a boy, Mom and Dad would come home from the grocery store and unloaded the brown paper sacks of groceries. If we saw anything wrapped in butcher paper, we knew we were in for treat. That meant Dad was either going to barbecue or better yet, they had visited the lunch meat counter and brought home a bunch of fresh sliced lunch meat. But if we pulled out a long brown paper bread sack, we knew immediately that Mom and Dad had gone to one of the Jewish Delicatessens and inside was a fresh loaf of ...

2992. Out of the Miry Bog (Dealing with Depression)

Psalm 22:1-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I’ve told you this story before, but it’s such a good one, it deserves repeating. And it’s the best story I know to introduce the sermon this morning. A business man’s wife was experiencing depression. She began to mope around and be sad, lifeless - no light in her eyes - no spring in her step - joyless. It became so bad that this “man of the world” did what any sophisticated person would do. He made an appointment with the psychiatrist. On the appointed day, they went to the psychiatrist’s office, sat ...

2993. Chaos or Christ: Dreams Which Calm our Fears

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Author Scott Peck opens one of his most popular books with these three simple words: LIFE IS DIFFICULT. “If we can embrace that truth," continues Peck, “life will no longer be difficult." I'd like to talk about that for a few moments this morning. In Matthew's account of Jesus' birth, there are no angels singing, no shepherds watching, no cattle lowing, no tiny babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. In verse 18, Matthew says the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. “When His ...

2994. Unusual Joy

Psalm 126:1-6

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In a Dr. Seuss Christmas story, the small-hearted Grinch steals food and toys from all the Who's of Whosville in an effort to curb their Christmas joy. Yet on Christmas morn, the tall and the small sang without any presents at all. And the Grinch with his grinch-feet, ice cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags! And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of ...

2995. Believe

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

It’s been said that even the deepest meaning of Christmas is chocked full of make-believe. God does the making and invites us to do the believing. That’s what I would like to talk about today. Why not make this Christmas more than an adventure in fantasy? Why not, for you personally in your life, make this Christmas an affirmation of faith? For beyond the tinsel and beneath the hay and more important than all the cultural wrappings of Christmas, lies the truths that can shape and form our lives for today ...

2996. What Is the Future of United Methodism?

John 2:12-22

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

United Methodists gather this week across the United States in Jurisdictional Conferences to elect 20 new bishops. Since my name is no longer on the list of nominees, I have the freedom to talk candidly about this Church into which I was born and to which I have given my heart, my soul, and my deepest devotion. I am honored and deeply grateful to be a United Methodist pastor. Every week I get to do what I most enjoy doing—connect to people, preach the gospel, observe hearts being touched and lives being ...

2997. The Dynamics of Being a Dad

Ephesians 6:1-4, Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The idea of Father’s Day was first proposed by Mrs. John B. Dodd, in 1909. She wanted to honor her father, William Smart, a civil war veteran who raised six children on his own when his wife died at child birth. So the next year at her Methodist church in Washington state, Mrs. Dodd led the first known celebration of Father’s Day honoring the “father’s place in the home and his role in the training of children.” This religious celebration, however, did not stay religious very long. The associated men’s ...

2998. The King on a Donkey

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Some of you heard my story about the husband and the wife who had quarreled. It had been a high-pitch quarrel, each digging their heels in to preserve the position they had vehemently taken. Emotions ran high. Both were nursing their hurt feelings in defensive silence. As they were driving to attend a family wedding in a distant city — it was an uneasy and quiet trip, both of them starring straight ahead or out the window as the miles went by in icy silence. The angry tension between them was so thick you ...

2999. Are We There Yet?

Acts 1:6-14

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

On long family car trips, one of the favorite questions asked by children from the backseat is, "Are we there yet?" It is a question that drives certain parents to distraction, and one that kids love to ask. Even though the family has only been in the car fifteen minutes, the question comes. Even though the car is hurling down the freeway with no indication of slowing down, the question comes. And even though the kids are assured over and over again that they need to relax because it's going to be a long ...

3000. A Vision of Hope

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

Difficult times not only try a person's soul but frequently force a person to step up to a new challenge. Perhaps this has been your experience: You are at a crossroad unsure of which direction to head, so you venture out blazing a new path. Later, when you look back you realize that particular experience was a turning point in your life. There may even be times when something unexpected happens that thrusts you in some new uncharted course. The people living in Ezekiel's day were living in exile, taken ...

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