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 3001 to 3025 of 3082 results

3001. Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall

2 Kings 19:20-37

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

The Assyrian Assault on Judah: The second David has arrived. He has reformed Judean worship according to Mosaic law, casting off foreign influence and domination. We wait to see what will happen when the king of Assyria tries to take the kind of vengeance on Judah that he has just inflicted upon Israel. 18:13–16 The beginning of the Assyrian assault is reported in verses 13–16, as a new king (Sennacherib) attacks all the fortified cities and captures them. This is not a very promising beginning. It seems ...

3002. Jehoiachin Released

2 Kings 25:27-30

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

25:27–30 There is, however, an epilog. It concerns Jehoiachin, carried off to Babylon in 24:15, and now, many years later, released . . . from prison and given a seat of honor . . . at the king’s table. It is a tailpiece that has provoked some debate. It might be taken simply as the final nail in the coffin that the authors have so skilfully been preparing for Israel throughout the preceding chapters. Solomon’s glory has departed to Babylon. The empire has dissolved. The Babylonian king has destroyed ...

3003. David's Psalm of Thanks

1 Chronicles 16:7-43

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

16:8–36 These verses are the longest of only a few poetic sections in Chronicles. (Interestingly enough, another quotation from a psalm, in this case Ps. 132, can be found in the narrative in 2 Chron. 6:40–42, where Solomon’s transfer of the ark to the temple is described. The excerpt from Ps. 132 is used as part of Solomon’s prayer.) First Chronicles 16:8–22 is paralleled in Psalm 105:1–15; 1 Chronicles 16:23–33 in Psalm 96:1–13; and 1 Chronicles 16:34–36 in Psalm 106:1, 47–48. Whereas earlier ...

3004. The Book of Law Found

2 Chronicles 34:14-33

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

The Book of Law Found: 34:14–18 This subsection continues the narrative line of 34:1-13 by focusing on the finding of the Book of the Law in the temple during the restoration. The version in Kings just mentions that “Hilkiah the priest” reported to “Shaphan” that he had “found the Book of the Law in the temple.” The Chronicler first describes this event: while they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD that had ...

3005. Priests and Levites

Nehemiah 12:1-26

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

Priests and Levites: The listings of temple staff in 12:1–26 are a later supplement to the record of those who moved to Jerusalem in 11:10–23. This text again reminds us that moving to the capital meant coming to the home of the temple, but it now presents a bigger picture. The rebuilt temple, with its staff of priests and Levites, had existed since early in the history of the postexilic community, when Zerubbabel had been governor and Jeshua high priest (7:7). This larger perspective bridges the list in ...

3006. Praise to the Lord

Isaiah 25:1-12

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Devastation and Renewal for the Whole Land: The word massa’ no longer introduces the prophecies, but not until chapter 28 do we return to the direct, confrontational challenges to the people of God that dominate chapters 1–12. Chapters 24–27 thus stand out from the material on either side. The canvas broadens yet further than it had in chapters 13–23, but the tone of these chapters continues. The prophecy depicts further disaster and devastation, but makes fewer references to specific peoples. The effect ...

3007. Deliverance of Israel

Isaiah 27:1-13

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

3008. Message to Shemaiah

Jeremiah 29:24-32

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

Letters to Babylon and Back: Chapters 27 and 28 describe a prophetic conflict concerning the status of the 597 B.C. exiles to Babylon and the future of those who remain behind. Jeremiah represented the view that the former would stay in exile and the latter were under judgment. Hananiah attacked Jeremiah and optimistically stated that all would end well in just a short period of time. The present chapter continues the same note of prophetic conflict. However, rather than two prophets in contact physically ...

3009. How It All Began

Luke 2:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

A child’s letter to God: “Dear God, Did you think that Christmas would turn out like this when you started it? Love, Wendy, (Age 7).” (1) That is a profound question. Did God foresee crowded malls, raucous office parties, people congratulating themselves on giving and receiving extravagant gifts—people acting much like Little Jack Horner sitting in a corner, eating his Christmas pie . . .” You remember the rest of the poem, don’t you? “He stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plumb and said, WHAT A GOOD BOY ...

3010. Spiritually Prepared

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a ridiculous story about a priest who was about to baptize a young child. He approached the father of the child and said solemnly, “Baptism is a serious step. Are you prepared for it?” “I think so,” the young father replied. “My wife has made appetizers and we have a caterer coming to provide plenty of cookies and cakes for all of our guests.” “I don’t mean that,” the priest responded. “I mean, are you prepared spiritually?” “Oh, sure,” came the reply. “I’ve got a keg of beer and a case of whiskey ...

3011. A Time to Get Angry

John 2:13-22

Sermon

King Duncan

In the spring of 1894, the Baltimore Orioles came to Boston to play the Boston Beaneaters. Yes, that is what they were called back then--the Boston Beaneaters. The game heated up when Boston third baseman Tommy “Foghorn” Tucker slid into third base and the legendary third baseman John McGraw of the Orioles kicked Tucker in the face. Within minutes all the players from both teams had joined in the brawl. The warfare quickly spread to the grandstands. Among the fans the conflict went from bad to worse. ...

3012. Uncertain Certainties

John 20:19-31

Sermon

John Jamison

It was Sunday evening. Easter morning had come and gone, and the disciples had spent the entire day talking about the fact that Jesus had actually been raised from the dead. They were all fired up and making plans for how they were going to go out and spread the word of God and continue the ministry that Jesus had taught them to perform. Right? Not quite. As the sun went down Sunday evening, some of the disciples had gathered together. They were still hiding in a small room somewhere with the doors and ...

3013. Have You Been Pruned?

John 15:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Writer Henry Mitchell visited a region in California that is home to some of the world’s finest vineyards. His eye was caught by rows of vines that had just been pruned. It was depressing. All that was left of the once beautiful grapevines were rows of ugly-looking stumps and a few “runners” stretching from each of those stumps. “It looks disastrous,” Mitchell remarked to his guide. “Don’t worry, the guide replied. “We do that for three years to every vine [we cut it back] before it’s allowed to [yield] ...

3014. Would You Take the Crown Without the Cross?

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Brett Blair

The local sheriff was looking for a deputy, and one of the applicants - who was not known to be the brightest academically, was called in for an interview. "Okay," began the sheriff, "What is 1 and 1?" "Eleven," came the reply. The sheriff thought to himself, "That's not what I meant, but he's right." Then the sheriff asked, "What two days of the week start with the letter 'T'?" "Today & tomorrow." Replied the applicant. The sheriff was again surprised over the answer, one that he had never thought of ...

3015. The Advocate and the Street Where You Live

John 15:26-27, 16:4-15

Sermon

Ron Lavin

According to the dictionary, an advocate is "a powerful and influential person who defends or maintains a cause or proposal on our behalf." Someone working for us and on our behalf can be very beneficial when we are in some kind of difficulty or trouble. Someone working for us and on our behalf in life with integrity has value beyond description. In other words, a strong human advocate can save us from dire situations in which we might find ourselves. Let's take the case of a man, let's call him John, who ...

3016. Giving Up Control

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Ron Lavin

There are two stories in John 6:1-21 -- the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water during a storm on the Sea of Galilee. These two stories answer two important questions. First, when does 5 + 2 x 1 = 12? Mathematically, never. But in the story of the feeding of the 5,000, the multiplication formula works just like that: five loaves of barley bread, plus two small fish, times Jesus, the one man who is in control, equals twelve baskets of leftover bread. The key ingredient in that multiplication ...

3017. At the Intersection of Heaven and Earth

Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

It is said to be a true story from the old West. It is about a group of Apaches who attacked a Cavalry unit and successfully captured the paymaster’s safe. They had never seen a safe before. But they knew it contained precious gold. They tried to open the safe but were unsuccessful. They beat it with tomahawks. They dragged it over the ground with their horses. They heated it on a fire. They tried to blast it with gunpowder. Finally, they dropped it off a cliff into a great ravine. In spite of their best ...

3018. It Is Always the Third Day

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

We know the story well. Jesus was journeying toward Jerusalem. When he arrived in the capital city, he would be welcomed with a great parade. The crowd along the main street would cheer, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 13:35). A few days after that, the crowd would turn on Jesus. He would face a trial, crucifixion, death, and burial. Then, on the third day, Christ would be raised from the dead. On the third day, there would be new life. As Amos Wilder, a distinguished ...

3019. Get the Garbage Out!

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

For those of you who are parents or grandparents, I bet you remember your baby’s first words. Were you surprised by what those first words were? You spend the first six to nine months of your baby’s life just babbling at him and making all kinds of words and sounds. And one day, he or she suddenly responds! It’s a great feeling. Unless your baby’s first words are something unexpected. A parenting website asked parents to submit stories of the strangest first words their babies ever said. Laura Conaway from ...

3020. Hosanna! Please Save Us!

Matthew 21:1-11, Matthew 26:14-16

Sermon

King Duncan

In our social-media obsessed culture, we assume that everyone wants to be in the spotlight. Everyone wants attention. That’s what Facebook, Instagram and TikTok want us to believe. But being the center of attention can be exhausting and isolating too. Actor George Clooney said in a recent interview, “There are restrictions to this kind of fame. I haven’t walked in Central Park for 15 years. I’d like to, you know?” And actor Johnny Depp said in an interview on the Today show, “[Being famous] is a little bit ...

3021. God Gives the Pharisees the Finger!

John 7:25-44, John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop (Animation): Scale or coins (three types) and blackboard with the words: mene, mene, tekel, upharsin; clay pot Judging. It’s something we do almost without thinking. Judging. And justifying. And we’re so GOOD at it! We love to sit on our holy thrones (or in the case of football, cause it’s the season now –lounge in our armchairs) and cast judgments upon those people who are on tv, in the spotlight, on trial, or in any way aren’t in our circle of friends. Many of us judge our friends too! All you have ...

3022. The Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

This morning, I want you to imagine with me for a moment. Close your eyes if you will. Sit back. I’m going to take you to another place. But first a warning: during a big chunk of this sermon, you will have your eyes closed. You can tell your friends that you went to church this Sunday and the preacher told you to shut your eyes and keep them shut for a long time. Where else can you go to church and be encouraged to shut your eyes? Are you ready? Let’s take a trip in time. [pause] You’re driving home from ...

3023. Sim Lev!

Mark 13:1-31, Mark 13:32-37, Matthew 24:1-35, Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) Prop: ruby slippers (you may use these as an example of an “anchoring” metaphor/sign) OR bud of a fig tree // recommended: Holy Communion elements One of the most mesmerizing tales of the 20th century was The Wizard of Oz starring a young Judy Garland. It was first and foremost a foray into the ...

3024. Joey and Nicky at Skull Mountain

Mark 15:42-47

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: Anointing oil (preferably frankincense or myrrh) Joey and Nicky at Skull Mountain -- It sounds like a mystery like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, doesn’t it? Or for those with a slightly more sinister flair, a story by E. L. Stine. Intrigue, Mystery, Mayhem, and a good dose of the gruesome. And slightly Spooky. The events surrounding Jesus’ death were certainly strange and unusual. The High Priest and his family of former and future high priests had been pushing to get something done about Jesus ...

3025. House of God

Ephesians 2:1-10, Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: Bowl and Ingredients for Hummus or Pesto I know many of you kids out there have seen the Disney movie Ratatouille, right? How many have seen it? I’m going to play a little clip from that movie for a moment…. [Play the clip in which Remy the rat is discerning the flavors in food, as he creates a new delicacy by placing varied tastes together.] https://youtu.be/pRIwj05eEvw Well, this morning, I have brought an experiment of our own to tempt our tastebuds. I have here…… let’s see …. some garlic, some ...

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