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 3401 to 3425 of 5000 results

3401. A One Sentence Legacy

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

King Duncan

I heard recently about a guy named Bob. Bob was single and lived with his father. Bob worked in the family business, a very successful family business. When it became apparent that his father would not live much longer, and that he would soon inherit quite a fortune, Bob decided to find a wife with whom to share his soon-to-be abundant wealth. One evening, at an investment meeting, Bob spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away. “I may look like just an ...

3402. He's Back

John 20:19-23

Sermon

David O. Bales

Most Christians know about the Holy Spirit’s power granted one morning in Jerusalem seven weeks after Jesus’ resurrection. It occurred on the Jewish Festival of Passover recorded in Acts 2. Many Christians don’t know what John 20 reports. This text is about Jesus’ giving the Holy Spirit before the exciting spiritual event at the Passover Festival. Seven weeks before Pentecost we’re with Jesus late on the day of his resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection has announced that he’s back for good. His students ...

3403. Looking Down on God

John 13:1-17

Sermon

David O. Bales

One of the most interesting accounts of a creative and surprising story was of a father and his three-year-old daughter. During a long winter the little girl had enjoyed more and more using the sparse living room for her gymnasium and for the center of her imaginary world. All the room had in it was a large pillow. So the father set out to tell her a story about a pillow. He made up a story about a large pillow and a forest and animals that would come and play on the pillow. When all the animals slept, the ...

3404. When We No Longer Recognize Ourselves

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

Andras Tamas is the name officials gave a certain man decades ago in a Russian psychiatric hospital. He’d been drafted into the army, but the authorities had mistaken his native Hungarian language for the gibberish of a lunatic and had him committed. Then they forgot about him. For 53 years. A few years ago a psychiatrist at the hospital began to realize what had happened and helped Tamas recover the memories of who he was and where he came from. He recently returned home to Budapest as a war hero, “the ...

3405. The Parable of the Careless Farmer

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

Somewhere I saw a long list of wise sayings attributed to farmers. Let me list just a few of these wise sayings for you. Maybe you will relate to one of these: 1. Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance. 2. Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads. 3. Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you. 4. Life is simpler when you plow around the stump. 5. When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty. 6. And this last bit of advice: Always drink upstream from the herd. Jesus told ...

3406. Family Re:Union - Inverting the Pyramid

Deuteronomy 6:1-25

Sermon

James Merritt

There is an old saying that you if you keep telling a lie long enough that people begin to believe it is the truth. You may have heard of an interesting television show called “Myth Busters.” They do some of the most interesting and sometimes stupid stuff just to prove that certain myths are untrue. I came across some very popular myths, some in which I used to believe, but they simply are not true. Myth #1: Elephants are the only mammals that can’t jump. It is true that elephants can’t jump, but neither ...

3407. Risky Business

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Many of you have seen the delightful animated feature, Shrek. You may remember Eddie Murphy as a mouthy, arrogant, tactless donkey who can’t shut up to save his life. In one scene, Shrek, the big green ogre, travels to rescue Princess Fiona, while Donkey tags along with him. While Princess Fiona is trapped in a castle surrounded by boiling lava, Shrek and Donkey cross a wobbly, unstable bridge, and Donkey, out of fear, wants to turn around. In great trepidation, Donkey yells, “I’m not going!” Shrek replies ...

3408. Tarzan He Was Not

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

The Week magazine often contains quirky news items collected from periodicals around the world. Back in 2005 they carried a story about a Romanian man who was recovering in the hospital after trying to escape from his wife by swinging from tree to tree on a vine like Tarzan. Stefan Trisca a 66-year old man, of all things - -had wanted to join his friends for a night of drinking, but his wife locked him in his bedroom. This did not stop Stefan. He was on a mission. He climbed through the bedroom window and ...

3409. Shall We Take the Escalator?

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

King Duncan

I hope you’re having a great summer. Some of you, no doubt, have visited or are planning to visit one of our nation’s beautiful national parks. Each year the Park Service receives suggestions from guests on how they might better serve people visiting those parks. Here are some actual suggestions and comments they have received. I’ll let you decide which of them have some merit. Here’s the first suggestion: “Many trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building ones that go uphill.” O. K., I’m all for ...

3410. Submission to Rulers and Masters

1 Peter 2:13-25

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

Respect for Authority 2:13 What living the Christian life entails is now spelled out in some practical detail. Peter applies the admonition Submit yourselves to a series of relationships: to civil government (vv. 13–17), to slavery (vv. 18–20), to Christ himself (vv. 21–25), and to marriage (3:1–7). The relationship of Christians to the state was one which soon became problematic, for in the early centuries of the church all states not only were governed by pagans but included pagan worship within their ...

3411. Famine in Besieged Samaria

2 Kings 6:24-7:2

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

The Siege of Samaria: The Aramean threat has been hanging over Israel for some time. The uneasy peace of 2 Kings 5 gave way in chapter 6 to sporadic Aramean raids into Israelite territory—themselves curtailed because of the events of 6:18ff. There has been an accumulating tension; it is no surprise to read of full-blown invasion, as the king of Aram, long anxious for a fight (5:7), encamps his army at the very gates of Samaria. Our only question is how long Elisha will continue to help doomed Jehoram. It ...

3412. The Boy Jesus in the Temple

Luke 2:41-52

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: Already in his childhood Jesus is aware both of a special relation with God as his Father and of a special calling. Understanding the Text With this unique glimpse into the period of Jesus’s adolescence, Luke bridges the thirty-year interval between Jesus’s infancy and the beginning of his public ministry. His special relationship with God that is revealed in this story begins to fill out the promises associated with his birth. Mary and Joseph remain central to the story, as Jesus is still in ...

3413. John the Baptist

Luke 3:1-20

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: John calls the people to a new beginning, and so prepares the way for the Messiah. Understanding the Text We now move into the story proper, and it begins, as chapter 1 led us to expect, not with Jesus but rather with John, the forerunner. At 3:21 the focus will turn to Jesus, but John’s call to repentance, and the considerable impact that it had on public opinion, will remain in the background of Jesus’s own ministry. In many ways Jesus will be, as he was popularly perceived to be, the successor ...

3414. Falling Into Faith

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Woody Allen once quipped, “If there is a God, he is the ultimate under-achiever.” This statement is a stinging indictment, especially for those who have high expectations of God. Some may even find it offensive. It is unthinkable that God would want to do less than the very best for the world. However, these deflating words are not too distant from the attitude of Abraham at the beginning of Genesis 15. Abraham has waited expectantly for the child that God has promised him and anticipated the joy of a son ...

3415. Elephants in the Room: Depression

Lamentations 3:17-26

Sermon

Charley Reeb

One of my favorite actors was Paul Newman. He played some of the best roles in motion picture history. Here is picture of Newman in one of his most famous roles, Cool Hand Luke. Cool Hand Luke is an important film with layers of meaning. Newman plays an unruly prisoner in a Southern chain gang during the 1930’s. Some folks have suggested that Newman’s character is somewhat of a Christ figure. For example, Luke surrounds himself with a band of followers. He also performs miracles, like a death defying ...

3416. Pop Verses: Jeremiah 29:11

Jeremiah 29:11

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Today I continue our series “Pop Verses.” We are taking a closer look at some of the most popular Bible verses. We are finding out why they are so popular and how they apply to our lives. Quite often our favorite verses are just that – they’re verses. They’re not read in context. This can lead to a misunderstanding about the meaning of the verse. I believe this series is going to give us a lot of food for thought about these popular verses. Today our focus is another verse from the prophet Jeremiah. You ...

3417. Being a True Disciple

John 8:31-36

Sermon

David G. Rogne

I attended a church recently where the pastor was lamenting the fact that the Christian church has many members who are fans of Jesus but too few who are committed disciples. He described a fan as an enthusiastic admirer who wants to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits but not so close that it requires sacrifice. Fans may feel fine about repeating a prayer, attending church on the weekend, and slapping a fish emblem on their bumpers. Jesus, the pastor said, is not interested in recruiting ...

3418. The Siege Lifted

2 Kings 7:3-20

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

3419. Like Fighting a Giant Tuna

Romans 7:14-25a

Sermon

King Duncan

Pastor Spencer Homan tells an exciting true story about the Great Tuna run of 1998. The story begins with tuna running only 30 miles off Cape Cod. What made that exciting was that such a run hadn’t happened in 47 years. The tuna were not only running, but they were also biting! It was a fisherman’s dream. All you needed was a sharp hook and some bait and you could haul in a bountiful catch. You could even make some money. Rumor had it that Japanese buyers would pay up to $50,000 for a nice blue fin tuna. ...

3420. Advice from a Billionaire

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

King Duncan

How much would you pay for some spot-on financial advice from billionaire investor Warren Buffett? They call him the Oracle of Omaha. He is a legend when it comes to making wise decisions in the financial world. Some people are willing to pay thousands of dollars for his wisdom about the stock market. And yet when some reporters asked Buffett for the best advice he ever received, Buffett didn’t talk about money at all. Rather he focused on how best to live . . . and how to raise your children. Buffett said ...

3421. The Reception was Excellent

John 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Do you mind if I start today with a terrible joke? Did you hear about the two TV antennas that got married? I understand that the wedding was terrible, but the reception was excellent! I’ll let you think about that for a moment. Our lesson today from the Gospel of John is about a wedding reception that went from a near disaster to a roaring success. And it became a roaring success, of course, because Jesus was there. You know the story well. “On the third day,” says John in his Gospel, a wedding took place ...

3422. Mimosa Pudica

Luke 10:1-10, 16-24

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

Have you ever seen a mimosa plant? When touched, the fern-like leaves of the mimosa pudica fold inward and droop downward. This action has a domino effect: the touched leaf folds and droops, and then the next, and the next. It looks like the plant is literally shriveling up and dying right in front of you. Mimosa is a Greek word meaning to mimic. Pudica is Latin for “shy,” “bashful,” or “shrinking.” So, I guess you could say that the mimosa pudica is mimicking shyness. The mimosa pudica is known by many ...

3423. Healing

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Molly F. James

When I was in fourth or fifth grade, I was helping my dad in the kitchen. I had been taught how to use a knife properly, but I wasn’t always perfect at it. I slipped and knicked my finger. It was just a small cut but it was on the knuckle, so if the cut was going to heal, we had to find a way to splint my finger. I remember being very proud that my dad simply took a piece of kindling from the pile for our wood stove, cut off two small pieces, bandaged my finger and taped it with adhesive tape. Voila! ...

3424. The Sweet Fragrance of Brokenness

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: A mortar and pestle. Assorted spices (such as cinnamon sticks, cedar, aloe, pomegranate seeds, saffron). Pine nuts, garlic, basil, salt and olive oil (the ingredients for pesto). Rose petals. A rosary (you can find a true rosary online). Anointing oil (such as spikenard). Candles and/or incense (frankincense and/or myrrh). [You may want to have scents/fragrances in the sanctuary for your service, ie incense and candles. If desired, you may have roses on the altar and/or an olive tree standing nearby ...

3425. The Gardener

John 20:10-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7) “Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden.” (John 10:41) Prop: seeds This is the first Sunday after Easter. It is sometimes called “Low Sunday,” partly because of the low number of people historically attending church this day. It is sometimes celebrated as it was in the past as “Holy ...

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