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 3076 to 3100 of 4963 results

3076. Integrity Deficit Disorder

Matthew 21:23-32

Illustration

Otis Young

... the physical environment. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn't, they let it affect their attitude and their performance. Worse still, reactive people blame whatever happens to them on someone or something outside of them. They rarely take any responsibility for what's happened to them. It's always the fault of someone or something else. Proactive people, on the other hand, carry their own weather with them. Whether it rains or shines makes no difference to them. They are value driven and if ...

3077. Jesus the Iconoclast

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... would out and out object. There are always the "but somes." In fact, if you don’t have some "but somes" in your life you aren’t on the front lines. The "But some" contingent is why the Iconoclast author Gregory Berns made over-coming the "fear response" one of the three necessary components of a true iconoclast. The "but somes" are to be feared, for they can damage you and your mission. The "but somes" will ALWAYS think you are wrong. The "but somes" will always preach that going against the grain only ...

3078. Perceiving the Presence of God

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... world. The Pentecost event was not for one day; God's Spirit must guide and direct all our actions and words. We must also recognize the presence of God and answer the call when we don't have the time. We live in a terribly busy world; our responsibilities and the demands on our time always seem to grow greater. God's call can seem to be an interruption, a detour away from our daily and life goals. Yet, as Lily discovered and the scriptures state through numerous examples, it is through an openness to God ...

3079. Accepting the Lord Once Again

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... light, the hope, the bearers of good news. If Jesus' birth means something more than a respite from the day-to-day grind, then it must take root and blossom forth in what we say and do. As Saint Paul says, we are the Body of Christ. We have a responsibility to pass on the gifts Jesus brings to others. We begin with ourselves and then move to others. What can we do to make sure the light is accepted, that Jesus' incarnation makes a difference in our world? The light of Christ is like the light from a lamp ...

3080. God Is Amazing

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... obviously an instant attraction. It was more than what he did or said; Jesus' person had to have been larger than life. Why else would men who had families and lives immediately leave everything to walk an unknown road? Logic cannot be used to explain their response; Jesus moved people almost immediately beyond logic. He truly was an amazing person. Our challenge is thus twofold — to respond and to be amazed. The two go hand-in-hand. If we are truly amazed by the presence and power of Christ in our world ...

3081. Caring for the “Little Ones”

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

George Reed

... to trick us out of our money so they could go and squander it on drugs and alcohol? We know there are people who take advantage of the help programs offered by our government and our churches, but our response should not be to paint every recipient as a clever thief and ask how we can keep from giving them money. Rather, our response should be to look at our system and ask if we are doing what we need to in order to truly help people. It is very easy for us to use the greed of some people to justify ...

3082. We Are Citizens of This World

Matthew 22:15-22

Illustration

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... our liberty is not the right to do as we please, but the opportunity to please to do what is right." It is unthinkable that a Christian would not vote! It is unthinkable that Christians would not run for public office! It is unthinkable that Christians would withdraw from the responsibility of taking part in public life. The Christian has a responsibility to Caesar for all the privileges which the rule of Caesar brings. We are citizens of this world and must be good ones, if we are Christ's disciples.

3083. Doing a New Thing

Isaiah 43:18-25

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... course, that Robert would come waltzing in with a new invitation or challenge, a new idea or some new piece of bric-a-brac for his apartment. He would shout, "Let's do something new today! Let's forget this old stuff that you've been doing!" And the response would be a collective groan of unwilling respondents, saying, "Let's not!" Robert’s friends weren't bad people. They weren't mean or nasty. They were just stuck in a way that made no sense to Robert. He saw them day in and day out, doing pretty much ...

3084. Man Proposes; God Disposes

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... believed they applied to me. I always wanted my wife and children to change. I wanted my boss to change. I wanted my friends to change. Now that I am a recovering alcoholic I have come to see I can't change anyone else, only me. Finally, I have taken responsibility for my actions. It's hard because some of my actions have been terrible, but I'm beginning to learn the lesson that my plans are not always God's plans and my ways are not always God's ways. Every morning when I arise I pray, 'Dear Father, I ...

3085. Apocalypse Wow!

Isaiah 25:6-9

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... about to ask for a definition in that room full of men. Later she had an opportunity to consult a dictionary and was reminded that a sexton is a custodian associated with a church or cloister. In earlier times the sexton was also responsible for digging graves in the church cemetery. I don't think churches today would have many applicants for custodial positions if grave digging were included in the job description. Fortunately, burial practices are quite different today, since the invention of backhoes and ...

3086. Keeper of the Springs

Proverbs 31:10-31

Sermon

Peter Marshall

... that their grandmothers had. I have every confidence that they are anxious to preserve the best of our heritage, and God knows if we lose it here in this country, it is forever gone. I believe that the women of today will not be unmindful of their responsibilities; that is why I have dared to speak so honestly. Keepers of the Springs, we salute you! Our Father, remove from us the sophistication of our age and the skepticism that has come, like frost, to blight our faith and to make it weak. We pray for ...

3087. Looking for Love in the Classifieds and All the Wrong Places

Ephesians 2:4

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ; we have been majoring in minors, we have allowed the things that matter most to be at the mercy of the things that matter least. Some high school sophomores were given an assignment to write an essay outlining their definition of love. Among the responses was this one: "Life is one thing after another. Love is two things after each other." Another student wrote "Love is the feeling in your stomach of butterflies wearing roller skates." The one that took the prize, however, was this one: "Love is that ...

3088. Don't Count Sheep

John 10:11-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Lord is my shepherd"? Does your mind's eye more readily identify with the identity of "sheep" or "shepherd?" What are the responsibilities of sheep and of shepherds? What is expected of us? Have you ever been troubled by the biblical injunction that calls for ... and soothe it into slumber. Shepherding requires a completely different association with sheep. The shepherd is alert, responsive, attentive to details in the lives of each individual sheep, watching out for their well-being, and working long hours ...

3089. Faith Is the Victory

Acts 10:44-48

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Through the grace of God we have been promised the incredible possibility of a real, live relationship with the divine. Our appropriate response to this relationship is one of faith. This week's texts help us to acknowledge that our faith is a response which is utterly dependent upon God's faithfulness for its birth and growth. The word "faith" is one of the most widely used words in the NT. It is found in the First Testament through the verbal root aman, or as we would translate the word, "Amen." This ...

3090. In Christ, or in a Jacuzzi Jesus?

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is what Paul's Jesus offers us. The "old things" in our cluttered lives do not miraculously disappear as if they never existed; difficult people still confront us, jobs still put pressure on us, bills must still be paid, and family responsibilities met. But as transformed people problems and situations which appeared impassable before suddenly take on different hue. Once we are "in Christ" we are outside the pettiness of our previous self-absorption. "In Christ" we no longer are forced to see relationships ...

3091. The Job Description of a Leader

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in: a weekly Friday luncheon fast as a sign of solidarity with the poor; organizing and participating in a 24-hour prayer vigil for peace; or even hitting the highways, the waterways, or the abandoned byways with garbage bags and a sense of responsibility for the safekeeping of our fragile planet. Christian leadership is not afraid to act on God's commitment to the ideals of justice and social action. The third item in this job description gives the encouragement "never faltering, never breaking down." A ...

3092. Global Warming

Genesis 2:18-24

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... encounter. Allowing ourselves to interact and to invest emotionally and spiritually in people and our planet around us will stimulate a similar warming effect. We need to "warm up" to our responsibilities by redirecting our inward fixation and looking out on our families and communities with new eyes. The United States is responsible for 22% of the world's carbon dioxide output, by far the largest contributor of gases that produce global warming. That amounts to about 55,000 pounds for every American man ...

3093. Are You a Crazy Dog?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... was always saying "why not" - why not associate with tax collectors? Why not heal the Syro-Phoenician woman's daughter? Why not ride "triumphally" into Jerusalem on the back of a scrawny ass instead of on a magnificent war-horse? "Why not" is a response that opens the door for change. Jesus called his twelve disciples and all their successors to be next generation leaders (NGLs) - people of faith who refuse to give yesterday's answers to tomorrow's problems. We are called not simply to observe the changes ...

3094. Grits, Grats and Gruts...Not Grunts

1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... emerges from beliefs and intentions. Such is the power of the will. Grits, Grats, and Gruts may seem like so many grubby fund-raising schemes. But when they arise out of an active will and desire to please God - combine material goods with a spiritual response - they reach beyond the realm of tax breaks and personal benefits. These instruments of the will empower one to reach beyond the grave of self, even time, to behave in ways that please God and serve others. When energized by God's power, grits, grats ...

3095. Aged to Perfection - The Third Age

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... again are indicative of its expanding tendency. The question individuals in this age ask one another: "What school do you go to?" 2. The Second Age - This is a period of independence, maturity and responsibility. But the possibilities of independence are easily overwhelmed by the responsibilities. There is the never relenting need to earn more money, establish a career, confront and conquer the "real world." Raising children, paying mortgages and managing stress often define this age as taxed and tiring ...

3096. Christ the Snake

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , Jr. ("Christ the Snake," Perspectives, March 1991, 14-15), in which he looks at one of the strangest episodes that occurred during Israel's wandering years. Numbers 21:49 records a typical incident of headstrong Israel's disbelief and disgruntlement. In response, a perturbed Yahweh sends a plague of poisonous snakes among the people. Many are bitten and die. Snake-bitten into submission, the Israelites crawl to Moses for deliverance. But when Moses goes to the Lord for the "cure," God's prescription ...

3097. The Monster Under Megan's Bed

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... her grandfather had just given his life. Her words breathed life back into that dream and gave renewed vision and hope to a grieving country. As we sit at the feet of our children, however, our generation must resist the urge to stop being the adult, the grown-up. Responsibility-shy boomers must not use our kids' unique abilities as an excuse for us to abdicate our ultimate accountability. While we may have to rely on our 8-year-old to get the clock set on the VCR, our 8-year-olds are relying on us for a ...

3098. The Family Ideal, Not Idol

Genesis 12:1-4a

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... stemming the tide of family collapse is the best protection we can offer a child against becoming either the victim or the perpetrator of violence - or, as it turns out, poverty" (8). We have either too many parents who are having children with little responsibility for those children, or parents who are making not a family but a fortune off their offspring. From a purely statistical standpoint, here is the greatest predictor of drug use and/or drinking: the number of hours a child is left alone during the ...

3099. The Well That Will Never Run Dry

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Moses' warnings, the people seem oblivious to anything but the dust in their throats. The gospel text for this week recounts Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (John 4:5-42). In response to Jesus' words about "living water," this woman shows great enthusiasm for such a drink. Yet her first response seems to indicate that she looks at this living water as a labor-saving device - she will be free from the wearying walk to the well to draw up water for herself and her household. The ...

3100. These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Matthew 10:24-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a food, a place, a feeling, a person. What are the little things that make their lives worthwhile? Columnist Jim Shahin asked readers to send him a list of their "favorite things," which he defined as "those things that make life worth living." The response was incredible. People thanked him for helping them regain perspective and to remember the little things about life that have such big payoffs. When I have tried this, certain things keep cropping up: sunsets, sunrises, clean sheets, naps, the smell of a ...

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