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 326 to 350 of 1400 results

326. Paul, The Great Missionary

Philippians 1:1-11

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... have meaning in that kind of historical context. While Paul was not a hostage in the classic sense, he was under house arrest a number of times, thus separated from his family and friends, and from his task as ambassador for Christ. I decided to drop the hostage notion and just concentrate on the way things were for the story line. Storytelling can do that to you, give you a premise and then take it away, and still come up with something you feel is worth working on. It was not hard, once I examined the ...

327. Jesus' Ministry Beyond Galilee

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... that this child is reborn through the prayers and faith of the community. This is a hard word for us to hear at times in our world which is so individualistic in nature. The Bible challenges our individualism in general, and any purely individualistic notion of "faith" in particular! In both of these stories Jesus heals with the power of the word. "The demon has left your daughter!" says Jesus, and it is so! (Mark 7:29). " 'Ephphatha ... Be opened,' Jesus said, "and immediately his ears were opened, his ...

328. The Servant of All's Second Prediction

Mark 9:14-32, Mark 9:33-37

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... , viewed as little more than property. Membership within the community of the faithful will involve giving status to those who have none ... Hospitality, a major aspect of life in the ancient world, is to be extended to the most unlikely, thus challenging traditional notions of status. Hospitality to the unimportant will be a hallmark of the circle of Jesus' followers, as it was in Jesus' own ministry. And this has everything to do with faithfulness to the one whose rejection and death mark the way to glory ...

329. Outsiders and Insiders: A Gospel Surprise

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... understand (Mark 4:12). In the third boat scene (Mark 8:13-21) Jesus says that it is the disciples who have hardened (rocky ground) hearts. It is the disciples who have eyes but fail to see, ears and fail to hear. Jesus appears to turn the whole notion of insider and outsider inside out and backwards with these words to the disciples. In today's text Jesus issues a stern warning on how to care for outsiders who are deemed to be "little ones" (Mark 9:42ff.). Most commentators say that the "little ones" are ...

330. Holy Arithmetic

John 6:1-15

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... spiritual reserves as necessary for himself. In those solitary hours, alone in communion with God, he gained perspective, resources, and stamina wherewith to go on. And so with us. The work of the kingdom, inside and outside the church, is often misrepresented and foiled by contrary notions of masses of people who want their own ends and their own way. All of us should heed the voice in the crowd saying, "There is a lad here ...," meaning, "O living Savior, we do not need strength to do what we want to do ...

331. How Can We Restore the Christian Home?

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... over the symbolism of the water. Or, some others treat it as an act of dedication in which what is done is entirely on and from the human side, and what God has done, does, and will do is not taken into any account. All these notions are spurious and they circumvent the responsibility factor at the heart of it all. This brings us to the key word, "covenant," which defines for us the connotation of responsibility in the context of the Christian life. A Christian covenant involves not just two persons or ...

332. Holy Believing

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... . Now Jesus cut straight across these confused and confusing perspectives and declared, "He who believes has eternal life." Should he say this today to our generation, what would we understand by it? Would it satisfy us who, in our own day, bring notions before the bar of the Christian faith that are equally perplexed and confused? "He who believes" - believes what? Or whom? "Eternal life" - what meaning can the average person put into this phrase today? "Live forever" - did Jesus mean endless existence or ...

333. Speaking Truth to Power: The Ministry of Nathan

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... . Not a cheap grace, mind you, but a grace cognizant of the great wrong that has been done, a grace whose zeal is fueled by sincere penitence, and a grace that can turn the most twisted but willing heart toward the light of the Kingdom. It is a strange notion to many of us. People do some heinous things to other people. But when all is said and done, the matter rests with God, who says to us, as Isaiah puts the matter, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord ...

334. God’s Kind of King

Jeremiah 23:1-8

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... is King of life and death. Because of his victory over death, he lives and reigns for all eternity. All other kings die. Jesus is different because he alone lives to rule over us. This truth should settle once and for all the popular notion of pluralism, which holds that one religion is as good as another and that all religions are roads leading to God. Indeed, there are many praiseworthy moral teachings in other religions. But the difference between Christ the King and other religious “kings” is the ...

335. Learning The Basics

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

... one. (Mark 10:6-8) "What therefore God has joined together, let no one put asunder." (Mark 10:9) Taking this thought one step further, Paul says that marriage is a matter of mutual respect! The consideration of Ephesians 5:21-31 will sensitize us to the notion that Paul was not about to play into the hands of the Pharisaic trap of Mark 10. Ephesians 5 is part of what is called a "household code" during the time of Jesus. Typically these so-called "household codes" spelled out the rights and obligations of ...

336. Tough Faith In Tough Times

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... God will bring justice and bring it speedily, what then are we to make of our sense that God seems to be taking his own sweet time about fulfilling his promises to make things right? The parable suggests a two-fold answer: In the first place, our notion of when and how a problem ought to be solved does not necessarily correspond to God's solutions. That's why the widow can represent the human side of the experience of waiting for justice, but the judge does not represent God's response. God, however, does ...

337. When Something Is About To Happen

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

Thomas Long

... rush of interest made him hesitate, uncertain of his own thought, but he pushed on. "It's strange, I know, but I get the feeling here, like nowhere else, that something is about to happen." The feeling that something is about to happen. A strange notion, and yet, the earliest Christians would have recognized it instantly as one of the truest marks of the church. They were convinced they stood on the precipice of history, and that something, indeed, was about to happen. For the world, time lumbered on, day ...

338. They Also Serve Who Wait

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Thomas Long

... from a "white brother in Texas" who wrote, "... It is possible you are in too great a religious hurry ... The teachings of Christ take time to come to earth." Dr. King replied that such an attitude stemmed from a sad misunderstanding of time, the notion that time itself cures all ills. Time, King argued, could be used for good or for evil. Human progress, he said, is not inevitable, but rather ... ... it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God, and without this hard ...

339. We Interrupt This Service

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Thomas Long

... , it is all pure religion and no messy entanglements with human flesh. All of which is fine until the old eagle John swoops to earth with his announcement: "The Word became flesh ...." On the other hand, the doctrine of incarnation blows up all naive notions of the inherent and natural holiness of life. It was God who became flesh, not flesh that became God. In the movie about Saint Francis of Assisi, Brother Sun, Sister Moon, the birds and all of nature preach their granola-flavored goodness to Francis. In ...

340. Easter 4

Psalm 23:1-6, Acts 4:1-22, 1 John 3:11-24, John 10:1-21

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... being Christian. The dangers are more subtle but just as real. They come from threats to our readiness to follow Jesus completely. The threats are in the false values that are propagated as giving the real meaning to life. We are assailed with the notion that serving self, that striving for comfort, that avoiding even the slightest pain or suffering is what life is about. Any threat to our standard of living is offered as the wolves, robbers and thieves. Thus an illegal immigrant is a person to be rejected ...

341. The Unclean Spirit

Mark 1:21-28

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... And Clean: The idea of unclean has ancient roots in tribal life. To be unclean means to be contaminated by a physical, ritual or moral impurity. Cleanness, then, is the absence of impurities. Unclean could apply to persons, food, places, or objects. This notion evolved into laws administered by priests. In the New Testament, the demons that cause insanity are regularly called unclean spirits. People believed that only God could bring a clean thing out of unclean conditions. (See Psalm 51:10: "Create in me a ...

342. The Healing Of Simon Peter's Mother-In-Law

Mark 1:29-34

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... medicine as we know it had not yet developed. So when disease struck, people had only God to look to for aid. They saw sickness as a spiritual matter. They linked it somehow with sin. Jesus carried forward the Old Testament notion that healing involves revitalizing a right relationship between the person and God. One meaning of "redeem" is to return to ownership. Jesus' redemptive ministry returned people fully to themselves by freeing them from their ailments. Counselor: Counselors offer advice or guidance ...

343. Easter 6

John 15:18--16:4, Acts 10:23b-48, 1 John 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... against graven images was to prevent man from limiting God to one form. 3. God broke out of the Jewish understanding of being exclusively chosen as God's people. At first the gospel was preached only to Jews. 4. In our text the Spirit had broken loose of the notion that Gentiles could not be baptized or receive the Spirit (v. 45). 5. Let God break you loose from concepts that limit or hinder God's Spirit. Lesson 2: 1 John 5:1-6 Sermon Title: How To Come Out On Top. Sermon Angle: Americans are into winning ...

344. Epiphany 6

1 Corinthians 10:23--11:1, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, Leviticus 13:1-46, 2 Kings 5:1-27, Mark 1:40-45

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... foul discharges from the sores on his body. He felt unclean, unacceptable to God or society, and the way that the world treated him reinforced his uncleanness. As he approached people, he had to yell out "Unclean! Unclean!" Jesus did not accept the common notion of sin and sickness, nor did he regard this leper as unclean. God is always willing. The leper prefaced his petition with the phrase, "if you are willing" (v. 40). His hesitancy is understandable. However, faith shows us that Jesus is always willing ...

345. Proper 23

Job 23:1-9, 16-17, Mark 10:17-31, Hebrews 4:12-16

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... the benefit of learning that at the foot of Christ's cross. Job thought, together with most others in the Old Testament, that prosperity was the sign of God's favor and that suffering indicated his disfavor. The book of Job moves beyond this idea to the notion that suffering is a time of testing allowed by God. God does not abandon us in suffering but merely deals with us in another manner, to the end that we are strengthened spiritually. Outline: 1. Job felt abandoned by God. When have you felt that way ...

346. Love One Another (or Strike Up The Band)

John 13:31-38

Sermon

Lee Griess

... . Someone once said, "We are judged by our actions, not our intentions. We may have a heart of gold, but then, so does a hard-boiled egg." Love one another. As a congregation of God's people, we are called to care for one another, to set aside our preconceived notions of who is and who is not acceptable to God. For the ground at the foot of the cross is level. We are all sinners. We have all fallen short of the glory that God expects of us and we are all received into God's goodness by God's ...

347. The Son Makes Us Free

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... makes you free, you shall be free indeed." How does the Son make us free? When we continue in his word. When we are true followers. When we know the truth. But what do these phrases mean? What does it really mean to continue in Jesus' word? This notion of continuing or abiding in Jesus' word is a large idea in John's gospel. He uses his images like a kaleidoscope. The same images are combined and re-combined in different ways, so that each time he turns the crank we see something different and yet recognize ...

348. An Outcast · The Woman Of Samaria

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... , and with it a new and daring idea trembled on the verge of the woman's mind -- an idea so big it must be too good to be true. Could the weary rabbi smiling at her beside Jacob's Well be the long-awaited Messiah? Reason sought to shout the notion down. But the woman's heart refused to relinquish it. Thus, almost before she knew it, she found herself saying, "I know the Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ); when he comes, he will show us all things." (John 4:25) The words were barely past her lips ...

349. Lent 1

Mark 1:9-15

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... baptism that precedes it; for the idea that one blessed with heavenly approval might be "driven" at once by God's Spirit into a wilderness (or desert) inhabited by a tempting Satan and wild beasts (and some helpful angels, to be sure) might well shatter any notion that the Christian calling is an easy path. Liturgical Color Purple Suggested Hymns Who Trusts In God, A Strong Abode Rise, O Children Of Salvation In Thee Is Gladness Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart Jesus, Still Lead On If God Himself Be For ...

350. What "They" Say

Luke 9:18-27

Sermon

Larry Powell

... the question. Think now, before answering. (1) Do not claim Jesus as Lord while continuing to be bound to a temporal attitude about possessions. One cancels out the other. One has to do with possessing. The other has to do with being possessed. Peculiar notions about temporal things surface from time to time. Several years ago, my wife and I visited relatives in Jefferson City, Missouri. We both love to browse in little out-of-the-way shops, especially rummage and junktique stores. We were delighted to find ...

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