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 3251 to 3275 of 5000 results

3251. It's Okay to Cry

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:4-5) [Optional Prop: crystal teardrops] Tears. Frustration. Grief. Sadness. It’s the name of the milieu pervading the atmosphere of many churches today. Dwindling attendance. Lack of enthusiasm. Fear of the surrounding culture, not to ...

3252. Graciousness and Grumbling

Matthew 20:1-15

Sermon

Will Willimon

Well, religion has suddenly become the burning concern of politicians. I can't remember when religion has been so important in a presidential campaign. It wasn't long ago that John Kennedy had to explain why, although he was a Catholic, his religion would not hinder him from being a good president. And a very short time ago, Jimmy Carter stood before the voters and admitted that, although he was a faithful Baptist, he would perform his presidential duties as if he were nothing at all -- or something like ...

3253. Living A Triumphant Life

Joshua 5:1-12

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

Most people today are driven to succeed. That may not be a problem unto itself. The problem comes in how we define success. If we pursue success as defined by secular culture, the focus will be on money and prestige. Those objectives as the key focus of life will leave us spiritually poor, though. G.K. Chesterton's words are insightful here. He said, "To be clever enough to get all that money one must be stupid enough to want it."1 The truly triumphant life can only be discovered in the pursuit of God's ...

3254. Suffering And Service

Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

Helen Keller once said, "Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it."1 Ironically, it is in our overcoming of the suffering of life that we learn to be true servants. Without the difficult experiences of life, we remain shallow and lacking in sensitivity to others. The scriptures teach us to become servants. This is the example Christ gave us. Our call is to serve God by serving others. Yet the concept of servanthood is lost on most of us. Our culture conditions us to ...

3255. "No Contest"

1 Kings 18:16-46

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

When my husband and I play tennis it is a "no-contest" contest. He is a far better player than I. In fact, we have a deal that anytime I can beat him a whole set, he will take me out for a lobster dinner. He is perfectly safe from having to pay. This contest has been running for as long as we've been married, and in 21 years I've had lobster once! The match is a "no-contest" contest. He always wins! In this text we have another kind of competition. The contest takes place on Mount Carmel. There is a sharp ...

3256. God On His Knees

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

The scene is the upper room. Jesus and his 12 close followers are gathered for this, the last time. Only two of them know that fact. The meal begins. Small talk flows, but then the volume and intensity of feeling rise. John tells us that a dispute has broken out among the disciples. The question surfaces: "Who is the greatest disciple?" All join in, "I am the greatest." You can bet that Peter has his say and Matthew, for he is vocal also, and Bartholomew and John. Each in turn extols his own virtue, ...

3257. What Is God Doing In Our Bad Times?

Joel 2:18-27, Joel 2:28-32

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

When Frank and Karen got home from their Bible study at church, there were two messages waiting for them on their telephone answering machine. Both messages were bad news. One call was from Ted, one of Frank's friends at work. Ted had received tragic news about a death. The other call was from Paula, one of Karen's friends from her aerobics class. Paula had received tragic news from her doctor. Neither Ted nor Paula were actively involved in a church. In the past, Frank had invited Ted to church and Bible ...

3258. Balaam, The Donkey And The Angel

Numbers 22:1-20, Numbers 22:21-41

Drama

Peter C. Garrison

At first glance, Balaam, the donkey and the angel don't have a problem. They tried to do exactly what God wanted them to do. But God seemed to change his mind about what he wanted Balaam to do for him. The following fiction is about how Balaam, the donkey and the angel puzzle out God's apparent change of mind. Have you ever tried to figure out God? (This chapter finds its "confusion" in the uncertainty of one ancient Hebrew word concerning the motivation of the angel of the Lord, in Numbers 22:32b.) ( ...

3259. Gifts of Lent, Ash Wednesday: A Man Gives His Donkey

Matthew 21:1-11

Drama

Donald Neidigk

Dramatic Monologue Come in! Come in! Do come in! Far be it from me that I should deny a visitor the hospitality of my little home. After all, it isn't really my home. I'm just a tenant. It belongs to the Lord, as does everything else you see around here, although I admit it isn't much. If I have an extra mat for a bed, or loaf of bread, or skin of wine, and you have need of it, consider it a gift from God to you. Now why is it you dropped by? Oh, yes! You want me to tell you about the time I let that ...

3260. Moving At The Speed Of Light: On The Mountain

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

Peter went to the mountain with Jesus. And what happened there was of such magnitude that decades after the resurrection, it still was of bedrock importance to Peter's witness for Christ. We know the story. Peter and James and John went with Jesus up to a high place, apart from the others. And while they were there Jesus' appearance before them changed. They saw him stand with Moses and Elijah. As Matthew describes, "His face shown like the sun, and his garments became white as light." Peter offered to ...

3261. What A Friend He Had In Judas

Matthew 26:47-56

Sermon

Thomas Long

Tourists who travel to faraway places will often attempt to learn a few useful phrases in the language of the land where they are going. They will practice typical traveler's lingo like "My name is Sarah. What's your name?" or "I am from St. Louis in the United States" or "Waiter, would you please bring our check?" or "Excuse me. I'm lost ... can you show me the way to the Hotel Pierre?" or "Thank you very much." One of the real tests of knowing another language, however, is cursing. If we don't know what ...

3262. Going Through The Waters

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

I suppose when we hear this passage about the parting of the Reed Sea, many of us cannot help but recall that scene in the movie The Ten Commandments. There is Moses, played by Charlton Heston, in a flowing black robe, long hair blowing in the wind, and his arms lifted up with one hand holding the staff that God had given him. The sea suddenly heaves and parts, creating a path with rolling walls of water on either side. Then, Israel marches through on dry land, barely ahead of the pursuing Egyptian army. I ...

3263. The Rain Of Bread

Exodus 16:1-36

Sermon

There is nothing like heading out into the back country, carrying on your back everything you need to survive. Enjoying nature, listening only to the sounds of wildlife, having a bit of creation all to yourself. Of course, there is one downside to it all -- the food. Cans are out of the question, they're too heavy to carry. That leaves only the packaged, freezed-dried variety of food. The pictures on the outside of these packages look inviting, but the actual stuff is all texture and no taste. If there's ...

3264. Grampa Noah And When The Flood Came

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

July 18, 1982 Comment: One of the difficulties of telling theGenesis stories is that they are a slushing together ofvariant religious traditions and stories of the Hebrewtribes. Some stories do not lend themselves to a singulartelling. The story of Noah is an excellent example. To open it up to the variations within it, I imagined afamily reunion many years after the flood and after Noah'sgrandchildren had heard the stories a hundred times fromtheir own families. At the reunion, the children finallyhave a ...

3265. We Haven’t Got To Them Yet

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

People give evidence that they like things to be pure. A favorite theme is of the poor little rich girl wanting to be loved for herself and not her money. She goes to great lengths to find out, “Do you love me for myself or just for my money?” She’s not alone. We all want to be loved for our own sakes. Our preachers are expected to be truly committed. To think they are in their work for the money is offensive. Our doctors are expected to be single-mindedly dedicated to “my” health. Teachers are expected to ...

3266. Made New By 180 Degrees

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

For those of you who have come here a mite tense today, I have good news for you. Without tension you cannot know the ultimate joy of Christmas. Without facing tension, Christmas is almost certainly missed. We have a tension between our texts today. We find tension between what John says and what Paul proclaims in Philippians. Two things emerge from the texts. First, the essential problem with John the Baptist. William Willimon, Chaplain at Duke University, says that John the Baptist reminds us of ...

3267. Poolside Blessing: Monologue of a Paralytic

John 5:2-16

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

Theme: We sometimes follow routines that are a substitute for a living. Instead of having a life of our own, we give up and become passive. In fact, that passivity can be a deceptive and manipulative style of control. Jesus' question to the paralytic by the pool was, "Do you want to be healed?" Do you want to get a life, or is life as you now live it a means of avoidance and control that you find too comfortable to give up? Setting for the Sermon Monologue: The scripture is a lectionary reading. How does ...

3268. Business Leader

Romans 8:28-39

Eulogy

Mark P. Zacher

Illustration and Conclusion to a Funeral Sermon: On June the 18th, 1915, 175 years ago to this day, the combined forces of Austria, Russia, Great Britain and Prussia, under the leadership of the British general Arthur Wellesly Wellington, engaged the powerful army of the French Empire, under Napoleon Bonaparte, near a Belgium town named Waterloo. By a pre-arranged agreement, the British army, at the end of that day, was to signal back to the coast the result of the outcome of that battle through a code of ...

3269. Death And Birth

Psalm 23:1-6

Eulogy

Henry G. Brinton

Christmas Two things you can never predict with precision are birth and death. It was a bitter cold January night when a young woman went into labor with her first child. She grabbed her minister husband, said, "It's time," and he replied, "Okay, but first we need to stop by the funeral home." He had a funeral service scheduled for 11:00 the next morning, and he knew they'd never be finished with the delivery in time. The minister's wife was not amused. But she got him back by complaining that the car was ...

3270. Palm Sunday

Bulletin Aid

Jack Brownlee

ORDER OF SERVICE Opening Words L: Let us worship God, our creator and redeemer, the God of Love. P: God continually preserves and sustains us. L: We have been forgiven with a powerful and engaging love. P: Christ has entered into our hearts and lives, waiting for us to recognize his Lordship over us. Hymn "All Glory Laud And Honor" Prayer Of Confession (Unison) Our hearts break, O Lord, as we watch the poverty and loneliness that confront us on the street and in the news: we feel powerless to respond. We ...

3271. Do You Know His Voice?

John 10:27

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Objects: Some blindfolds. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you think that you know the voices of other people? I wonder if you would know your mother's voice or your father's voice, or even my voice if you could not see me. Would you like to try? (Let them answer.) I have some blindfolds that I want you to put on and wear for a few minutes. While I am helping you put on your blindfolds, I want to invite some of your parents to come up front with us. We are going to let them talk to one another ...

3272. Not

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

There is no use in worrying needlessly. Some things you absolutely cannot change. And some things are too ridiculous for us to be concerned about. A Peanuts column shows Charlie Brown saying, "I couldn't sleep last night. I kept worrying about school, and about life, and about everything." Snoopy, the dog, walks away thinking, "I didn't sleep well either. All night long I kept worrying that the moon was going to fall on my head." Some issues are already settled, and there is no point in useless anxiety, ...

3273. The Gift That Keeps On Giving

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Keith Hammer

It is a hectic Sunday morning after worship. People are streaming in and out of the pastor’s office as he tries to put away all of the things that seem to have accumulated on his desk since he arrived earlier that morning. Suddenly Neta appears at the door. “Pastor, I’d like you to meet Emily Johnson. She’s worshiping with us for the first time today and wants to join our church.” The pastor puts aside what he is doing and greets Emily warmly. He invites her to sit down for a minute so that he can get to ...

3274. Forgiving the Bully

Matthew 5:38-42, Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

John Jamison

I like the first part of this story about Jesus. All those blessings, and that neat parable about the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. It makes me feel good inside. But now it gets difficult. Let me put this in terms that I can understand. The first time I ever remember hating anyone was in the third grade. The kid's name was Les. Les moved into town part way through the year and from the beginning we had trouble. On the first day, I received a note during spelling. The note read, "After ...

3275. "Because I'm God"

Job 38:1--41:34

Sermon

John P. Rossing

A mother is running errands, accompanied by her two small children. All morning the children have been pestering her: "Can we go to the new toy store? Let's get some ice cream. We want to go home now." Pretty soon their pestering turns to complaining, then to angry questions. "Why can't we go where we want to go? Why do we have to go in that store? Why can't we eat lunch now? Why do we always have to do what you want to do and never what we want to do?" Finally the mother stops, stoops to face her children ...

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