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 3101 to 3125 of 4653 results

3101. Sadness in the Heart of God

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

John Claypool

... for generations. That would be wonderful." No sooner had they said these words than they heard the sound of animal noises outside. Lo and behold, all around the house were a thousand magnificent animals! During the next two days, the farmer's feet hardly touched the ground. He divided his time between praising God for such great generosity and beginning to make practical provisions for his newly acquired affluence. On the third afternoon, he was up on a hill behind his house trying to decide where to build ...

3102. When Our Only Measure Is Fairness

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

Joel D. Kline

... to matters of fairness, we will frequently be disappointed. If we overlook the mystery in life and need to have things neatly explained, gratitude and graciousness will be edged out of our lives. Writes Robinson: "When our only measure is fairness, when our preoccupation is our just desserts, we lose touch with a sense of grace and graciousness. We forget about the wild zucchinis, the people who love us more than we deserve, and the God who extends generosity and forgiveness to us."

3103. Pray, Baby, Pray

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

I see we’re all here this morning, in spite of a lot of warnings that we wouldn’t be. Or are we only here in some parallel universe? Pinch or touch your neighbor to see if they’re really here. Okay. We’re all here. On 08 September 2008 the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was finally turned on, and we weren’t turned off. What is the Large Hadron Collider? It’s the largest machine ever built, a seventeen mile long ...

3104. So Much Comes from Our Choices

Matthew 21:28-32

Illustration

Mike Baker

... . They lost these last two games. Off the field, one teammate went on with his plans to wealth and success. Watts faces jail and the loss of his dream to play professionally. Two other families clutch their memories of their sons who were killed that night, sons that will never touch a football again nor draw another breath. So much can come from a set of choices.

3105. The Blessing Complex

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the blessing that is Christ into the world every day of our lives to every person in our lives. What can you do to bring that blessing to others? What actions can you take? You can bless someone with as little as a glance or a smile or a tender touch; you can bless people on the street, in the sanctuary, down the hallway, or up the theater stairs. You bless people by how you see and hear and treat them. You can take a “blessing break:” stop and start thanking God for all your blessings; for your Fed Ex ...

3106. Floating on Your Back

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... believing keep floating on your back, as it were and sooner or later things will look up. This kind of endurance is possible, of course, only if you have a reasonable hope that things will get better. Back in 1998 there was a little film that touched the hearts of millions of people around the world. It was titled Life Is Beautiful. It was a heartbreaking but inspiring film about a young Italian Jewish father named Guido who uses his fertile imagination to help his son Joshua survive their internment in a ...

3107. Mary, Did You Know?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... guitarist Buddy Greene added a perfectly matching tune and a wonderful song was born. “Mary, did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? Mary, did you know when you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God!” Each of the little couplets touches the heart in a wonderful way. “Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?” (1) The song’s been around now for nearly two decades. Listen for it ...

3108. Accepting the Lord Once Again

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... light. As he walked by the cathedral, a funeral procession for a little seven-year-old girl was just beginning to form. He heard the sobs and pleas of the girl's mother. Moved with compassion he asked the bearers of the funeral bier to halt. He touched the girl; she was raised to life once again. The local cardinal archbishop heard about this event. Such displays of power were not to be tolerated. Such action led to faith which would only be dashed in the cruelty of the world. The stranger was thus thrown ...

3109. Accepting the Unconventional in Life

Mark 2:13-22

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... broke with the tradition by associating with the ritually impure, suggesting that compassion was more important than law and convention. When Jesus encountered lepers he cured them despite the stigma associated with this dreaded skin disease. When the woman with the hemorrhage touched Jesus' clothes she was instantly made well. In the famous parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 15:11-32), one reason given by scholars for the failure of the priest and the Levite to stop and aid the injured traveler is that ...

3110. Seeing and Not Being Seen

John 12:20-33

Sermon

David T. Ball

... of what had happened. The risen Christ, unrecognized, unseen. An inspiring example of ministry, and reminder to us that the point of Christian ministry and living is not that we be recognized as Christians, but rather that we reach out in love to touch the needs of others. How tempting it is to think we need to stamp all that we do as Christians with a large-print label indicating our Christian intentions. How thought-provoking to consider that we might “see” and “be” Christ best in acts ...

3111. Momentous Moment

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

David T. Ball

... match up with how you tend to view communion. I understand that. That’s really my point — this hasn’t been how I have tended to view communion, either. I think I’ve been missing something. Mainly, communion has been a time for appreciation, of getting in touch with how grateful I am for what Jesus Christ was willing to do on my behalf. Not that this is wrong — just that I can appreciate this even more deeply in the context of this realization that what Christ did, he did when the tide was turning ...

3112. Time for a New Wardrobe

Isaiah 61:1—62:12

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... , incomplete, and broken. From this, we need to be saved. There are the obvious addictions of course. Alcohol and drugs claim millions who need saving. Professionals call this "self-medicating." But there are many, many other areas of life that this addictive society touches. We overeat, we find ourselves addicted to gambling, to sex, and a host of other variables and behaviors. From this, in spite of our protestations, we need to be saved. There are times, also, when we simply behave badly. We forget our ...

3113. It’s Good to Know Who Is Calling

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... him. "I didn't call you. Go lay down again." As we know this process went on for a while, with God calling and Samuel thinking that it was Eli. The third time this happened, it began to dawn on Eli that maybe somebody special was trying to get in touch with our friend Sam. So Eli told him to go back to his bed and if he heard the voice again, to simply say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." The rest, as they say, is history. God announces to Samuel that he's going to do a new ...

3114. Setting All the Idols Down

Hosea 2:14-20

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... voice of the holy calls us. If, in our church life, we have become more concerned with our buildings and our meetings than with our relationship with God, the voice of the holy beckons to us. It is difficult to live in a strange land and not be touched by its influence. Yet, we are here today as ones still in that covenant relationship with God (Genesis 17:7), worshiping, striving, praying, singing, and dancing in celebration of what God has done for us. We are here today, not to browbeat or to goad, but to ...

3115. A Double Share of the Spirit

2 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

Each one of us gathered here today comes bearing the echoes of great people in our lives. Each one of us bears the mark of someone who touched us in a powerful way. It might be a mother or father, a grandparent, or an aunt or uncle. It could be a neighbor who took you under his or her wing, or a teacher, or even, dare I say, a pastor. If you're really blessed, you might even ...

3116. Ashes for Remembering

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... be reminded to return to their Father. Our heavenly Father is the Lord God who is gracious and merciful (Joel 2:12). In other words, we are called to participate in the ashes of repentance and return to the Lord by remembering two things: our mortality and the touch of eternity God has added to his two-footed handiwork. We came from dust and to dust we return, but when we die, God promises the crown of eternity will be placed on the heads of his faithful children. The invitation here is to live like God's ...

3117. A Funeral for “I Can’ts”

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... the hole and covered with dirt. The teacher then told her students to join hands and bow their heads as she gave the eulogy. She said, "Friends, we gather today to honor the memory of ‘I Can't.' While he was with us on earth, he touched the lives of everyone, some more than others. Unfortunately, his name has been spoken in every public building — schools, city halls, and state capitols, and yes, even the White House. We have provided ‘I Can't' with a final resting place and a headstone that contains ...

3118. What’s New?

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... needed to give the people hope. That's the context for the prophet's words about the new covenant. The new covenant means hope for people who are down and out, people who are divided and estranged from God, from themselves, and from other people. Hope reaches out and touches us when we hear that God is doing a new thing. The new covenant means that God's Law will be written not only on stone, but on the hearts of God's people (v. 33). In other words, the new relationship with God will be inward, not just ...

3119. With Friends Like These ...

Job 38:1-7 (34-41)

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... helpfulness can cause others to become dependent upon us to "make them feel good." In this case, they are unable to develop fully their own coping skills and the emotional resources they will need to see them through this and other tragedies that inevitably will touch their lives. Our presence alone can often be our greatest gift and comfort. Job's friends might have been a great comfort to him, had they not tried to talk him out of his feelings and attempted to explain away his pain. His friend, Eliphaz ...

3120. Write to the Heart

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... many sections were difficult to understand. Finally, in exasperation, he turned to the last page to see how things ended. In relief he exclaimed, "God won!" Helen Keller once remarked that, "The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or touched. They must be felt with the heart." Today we have many options when our physical hearts deteriorate, such as medication, bypass surgery, and even heart transplants. There are situations where any chance of new life requires surgery. Heart surgery is radical ...

3121. Apocalypse Wow!

Isaiah 25:6-9

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... host when you come to this table. He is truly present in this gift of himself, to provide sustenance for your body and for your soul. There will be sufficient nourishment for your journey, wherever that journey may take you. The living Christ is reaching out to touch you, to embrace you. We all need hugs and this bread and wine represent an embrace from Jesus himself. Jesus urges us to keep the feast until he comes again in glory and gathers us unto himself to spend our eternity. "For as often as you eat ...

3122. Tasting the Gruel of Love

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... . I did the only thing any of us would have done in those circumstances,” says Colson. “I thanked her. Then Jack and I walked over to one of the wooden tables and joined the inmates there. (The government officials all stood back, stunned. None of them touched the food.)” Eckerd and Colson bowed their heads and prayed. Colson said it was the most fervent grace he had ever uttered in his life. He asked God to sanctify that food and save him from every microbe lurking within it. “The moment we started ...

3123. The Love That Conquers the World

Matthew 22:34-46; Mark 12:28-34

Illustration

Frederick Buechner

... for friend, brother for brother. It is to love what is loving and lovely. The world smiles. The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing--the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world. The love for the more fortunate is a rare thing--to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the poor for the rich, of the black man for the white man. The ...

3124. Taking Christ’s Love into the World

Matthew 22:34-40

Illustration

King Duncan

... of those delicate operations without stopping to think of that night in the YMCA and of a young man, who later became Bishop Donald Tippet of the San Francisco area, whose confidence changed his life." There is something life changing about that kind of love. Who could help but be touched by it? What we need today is not a revival that would bring more people into church. What we need is a revival that would motivate us to take Christ's redemptive love out into the world.

3125. Giving Whole-heartedly

Matthew 23:1-12

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

... became a leader and an inspiration through being a good steward of what God had given her. And, she knew the love of God. She found that God took care of her quite well. Her servant attitude helped her to leave, not just a gift, but a legacy that will touch lives for a long time.

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