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 3126 to 3150 of 4947 results

3126. Blessed

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... by Christian folks. It is the exact opposite of the meekness and humility of spirit that are blessed in the beatitudes above. There is, however, a good kind of righteousness that we are called by Jesus to pursue and that is relational righteousness. To be righteous, in this sense, is to be in an appropriate relationship with God. It is to recognize that God is the creator and I am the creature, that God is the one upon whom my worship and devotion are focused, that God is the one toward whom I am called by ...

3127. Do you need a Pharisectomy?

Matthew 9:27-34, Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 12:15-21, Matthew 12:22-37, Matthew 12:38-45, Matthew 12:46-50

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... from the Holy Spirit, that he was the one sent of God. Nicodemus himself (though one of the Pharisees who obviously admired Jesus) confessed that knowledge to him directly. But the more his actions flew in the face of their control and their sense of what was “right” and “wrong,” the more they hardened their hearts to him –and to God. Jesus’ accusations to them and their rejection of him are sharp and laser-focused, prophetic, and harsh. In rejecting him, they have committed the unforgivable sin ...

3128. The Death of John the Baptist

Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29, Luke 9:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... holy” has been defiled. What is carnal has been made an idol. The golden or silver platter is the “golden calf” of the banquet. In a sense, the violence committed is done just as much to Herod, as to John. In the act of beheading and public display of the head-on- ... desires. Herod himself is essentially “devoured” by the lusts of these women and overtaken by his own weakness. In a sense, to bear the weighty platter as a gift is a heavy burden. And in choosing his sovereignty, Herod has essentially ...

3129. Revised and Revisioned

John 8:48-59, John 9:1-12, John 9:13-34, John 9:35-41, John 10:1-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... these acts are the Hallel psalms, psalms 113-118 –God raising the poor from the dust; bring rock from water; speaking of idols who have no eyes, ears, or mouth, deliverance for the afflicted, praise to God, and the messiah who will be the cornerstone. In a sense the psalms tells the story, not only of God’s rescue and promise of a land of milk and honey, but tell also of the story of Jesus’ healing of the man born blind…with dust and water. You turn things upside down! Shall the potter by regarded ...

3130. Bittersweet

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... you “recognize” Christ within that child. You celebrate that child as a son or daughter of the covenant. And you expect that as the child grows up, Christ will be more and more revealed through him or her. It’s that way for all of us. In a sense, we “gift” Jesus with our gifts of worship, of praise, of recognition of who He is in our lives. But Jesus “gifts” us with the gift of Himself, the gift of salvation, the gift of relationship, and the gift of Life. And with that blessing, Jesus can be ...

3131. Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... place in which he did not believe, and who wouldn’t believe in a raising from the dead, now begs in the story for the dead to visit his brothers, so that they may be saved from his mistake. We are now peering into the heart of Jesus’ sense of humor. If this story is sounding a bit familiar, it should be. Every Christmas this story is told over and over and over again, but with a different ending. Our “old favorite” with a similar lesson to tell is called “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens ...

3132. As I Am A Witness

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... do we see it in the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel), but in Job and in Hosea, and others. “If a man dies, will he live again?” (Job 14:14) “Let us return to YHWH…he will raise us up on the third day.” (Hosea 6:1-2) In a sense, Israel itself (referred to as YHWH’s “son”) was hidden and dead in Egypt, but was brought out of concealment and into the promised land to “new life.” Israel was again saved in the Passover, a story about death, and those spared and given new life. Each covenant is a ...

3133. Elohim

John 1:29-34, Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... is Manyness to Oneness. And we know God through the person of Jesus Christ, made human, so that –like the picture framed in a way we can understand—we can know God. This is revelation. This is incarnation. God revealed in the flesh. In a sense, John’s description of Jesus as part of the Godhead is just a reiteration of the Hebrew understanding of Elohim, the Godhead in which God exists in relationship. And yet the Hebrew people knew Him as YHWH –God known. God revealed to a people. For Christians ...

3134. The Curse of the Tongue

James 3:1-12, James 3:13-18, 2 Timothy 2:14-26, Psalm 34:1-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Also interesting is Jesus’ healing of the man who it seems has had difficulty being restored. Yet he is there in the synagogue among others. He perhaps is there but not accepted. Jesus restores his honor. “If you are willing…” says the man. In a sense, this is a prayer-like way of asking politely. Jesus responds, I am willing. “Yirtzeh hashem” –if God wills it is a way of ending a prayer. “Thy will be done,” we say. God’s will must be done. Therefore, the question, “are you willing ...

3135. The Sign of the Servant

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . In proto-Hebrew or what’s called paleo-Hebrew (a language of pictographs), the word for yoke is made up of two pictographs, the first a shepherd’s staff and the second an ox head. Each one contributes to the meaning of “yoke” in the metaphorical sense that is used in the scriptures, and in Jesus’ quote as well.* The symbol of the shepherd’s staff (lamed) symbolizes authority. It’s is the symbol of the Shepherd, the leader of the flock. It is also a symbol that refers to something that guides ...

3136. Masks Off!

John 7:25-45 and 8:11-59

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... those who have held fast to Him even in the throes of death.** In our scripture for today, Jesus too plays a game of “hide” and “reveal” in the time leading up to the Final Reveal of his death and resurrection. He knows his time is short. He also senses, it is not quite time for the final countdown. So he proceeds cautiously, knowing that if he pushes too far, he may not accomplish all that God intends before he meets his end on the cross. He still has some things to say, some stories to tell, some ...

3137. The Infiltrator

John 10:1-21, John 10:22-42

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... done by those who take their jobs seriously. Sooner or later, the time comes when they are discovered, and rooted out. Those who are “crooked” cops are separated out from those who walk the “straight and narrow” path in law enforcement. In a sense, Jesus is the Great Enforcer, as well as the Super Savior. For those who are “dirty” cops (or in this case dirty shepherds), Jesus will be their worst nightmare. For those who have been abused, compromised, persecuted, deceived, Jesus is their best ...

3138. Translucent Grace

Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36, Revelation 1:9-20, Revelation 2:12-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to be children of The Light meant that you were a follower of the One True Light, Jesus the Christ. In Paul’s theology, when Christ lives within you, your life becomes a light. You become sons and daughters of that light (Ephesians 5:8). In a sense, you become not just an “imitator” of Christ, not just “like” Christ, but you become a “little Christ,” which is what the word “Christ-ian” literally means. As Christ lives in you, you become part of the Light that is the Light of the World. You ...

3139. Surely, Surely

Luke 1:1-4, Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... change that follows. In the scripture involving Mary, she both sees the light of the angel Gabriel, as well as hearing his voice and message. But afterward, she is also physically changed and altered, by the “pregnancy” of God’s salvation message/plan. In a sense, Mary IS God’s salvific medium, just as her son will be the conduit that seals God’s kingdom harvest. Yet, she is not a metaphor but a true witness (in her pregnancy and birth) to God’s covenantal promise. She carries the incarnation ...

3140. Liminal Space

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the path and in the wake of the Second World War, they knew they couldn’t stay. They had no idea what would await them in their new life, somewhere else, doing something else, speaking another language, being someone else than they were before. In a sense, it’s the journey of many immigrants as well. How many of you know someone who may have had multiple degrees in another country, but when they arrived here, those degrees weren’t recognized. So, someone who had been a professor or a doctor before, is ...

3141. Even in Our Hiding

Matthew 2:19-23, Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... proclamations. Whether Moses, or David, or Elijah, or many others in the scriptures –God acknowledges the need for hiding for a while. And yet, no one stays hidden forever. A time comes in which it is time for “the hidden to be revealed.” In a sense, God’s “plan” emerges within the strength of that person’s mission, and God is revealed in the confrontation of his disciple with the sin of the world. Just as many times God speaks in dreams….there is a waiting time before that dream comes to ...

3142. Sim Lev!

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

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , but is peppered with colorful clues and characters from her real Kansas life. If you pay attention to those hints and clues and metaphors, you discover that Dorothy’s dream world is rooted in her own true identity: her love of friends and family, her sense of home. When she awakens, those clues will be the triggers that remind and refresh her soul of the love that she’s never lost but which is right there for her to embrace. Understanding the relationships that make her life valuable creates for her ...

3143. She Waits

Acts 1:1-11, Luke 24:50-53, Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Salem as a place near their own worship center at Mt. Gerizim. Later rabbis would identify Melchizedek with Shem. (See the blessing of Shem in Genesis 9:26). A midrash actually suggests that Tamar was a daughter of Melchizedesk, which would make more sense of the story of Judah and Tamar. For more on the covenant meal, see also David Elganish “The Encounter of Abram and Melchizedek” in Studies in Book of Genesis. Ed. Andre Wenin. See also Midrash Rabbah, 1983, p. 796. ***See the Jewish Encyclopedia ...

3144. Oh That Cookie Jar Goodness!

Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... upright life, a guy who obeys every jot and tittle of the law, a guy who has attained a high position due to the exceptionalism of his religious aptitude and attitude. He’s well-dressed, groomed, soft-spoken, and probably even has a gentle manner and sense of humility. He has climbed the ladder in his career, and he has done everything possible to attain “perfection” in his religious life. He honestly wants to know, if he’s got it nailed. “Have I done it right?” he asks, wanting Jesus to affirm ...

3145. Lazarus Rising

John 11:1-16, John 11:17-37, John 11:38-44, John 11:45-57, John 12:1-11, John 12:12-19

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... her product. How far this mother has fallen! She was so distracted by her own greed, her own ambition, and her own quest for power and glory, perhaps her own misguided sense of “professional” values, that she lost touch with her love for her own daughter. She lost touch with the miracle of life she herself birthed. Wow! we say. This in a sense is what’s going on in the story of Lazarus. Lazarus is apparently some kind of well-known guy in Jerusalem. We can guess from scripture that he’s undoubtedly ...

3146. The Bramble King

John 15:1-17, John 15:18--16:4, John 16:5-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of silver; Thorns will be in their tents.” (Hosea 9:5-6) Thorns appear for the first time in Genesis after the fall. Thorns (sin) is what we will need now to deal with in the world outside of God’s inner garden. In a sense, the metaphor of thorns/thistles represents the “heart” which has rejected God and which attempts to go independently in another direction, which hides from God. Because the Hebrew metaphor of the garden represents the heart into which the “seed” of the Torah (God’s covenant ...

3147. The Tragedy of Caiaphas

John 18:1-27 · John 11:45-47 · Matthew 26:36-75

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in fact was a theatre word that referred to the donning of masks in order to take on the character of another. Jesus would use this Greek word to describe the priests and some of the Pharisees. The word describes Caiaphas to the max. In a sense, Caiaphas wore the mask of the High Priest, but while serving his own interests. High Priest…ever since Aaron, a designation that meant one who serves as an intermediary between YHWH and the Jewish people, one who could receive message on behalf of the people from ...

3148. Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ezekiel 37:15-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... that the colors and textures become fixed. If that pottery is not fired, and you leave it lie without being used for a long period of time, it will dry out, become brittle, and it will finally break. If you drop it, it will shatter. This is in a sense the kind of metaphor that Ezekiel is describing in his vision of the valley of dry bones. These are not bones who have recently lived. They’ve been long neglected. They are souls that have so long denied God, so long rejected God’s nurture and presence, so ...

3149. Identity Crisis

Genesis 32:1-21, Genesis 32:22-32, Genesis 33:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... tree, remain, as do the wounds they created. Whether they remain as open wounds or scars depends upon the way healing is done. It can take time, care, a lot of love to turn wounds into scars. Yet still the scars remain. As reminders. On both sides. In a sense, the rainbow (bow) is God’s scar left upon the created world. It rips across the sky like a multi-color glistening wound that fades away to a muted beam of color in the light of the sun, a reminder of God’s healing love, and promise, never again ...

3150. The Raising of Paul

Acts 14:8-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... we knew how to “tap into it.” Wait a minute! We do know how! It’s called prayer. And it’s the most powerful force on earth! Here’s the thing: the medical community knows it! Medical schools now teach courses just on prayer! In a sense, the medical community has taken the healing power of faith to levels where the church wasn’t willing to go. The results speak for themselves in healed lives. Imagine what God could accomplish in the world if the force of that Holy Spirit power were released and ...

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