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 3526 to 3550 of 4971 results

3526. Luke 24:1-12

Luke 24:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... are stumped about what could have happened to the body they seek. Only after the women experience this typically human response to the situation does Luke introduce the surprising and mysterious element of the "two men" into this empty-tomb scene. Careful readers will note that Luke describes these two figures as wearing "dazzling clothes" just as he had described the two visitors, Moses and Elijah, who conversed with Jesus during the mountaintop transfiguration (9:29-31). These two dazzling figures will ...

3527. Acts 5:27-32

Acts 5:27-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... our ancestors," that Jesus was raised from the dead. Peter thus skillfully presents the good news of Jesus' resurrection as part of the ongoing salvific history the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had intended for the Jewish people. Furthermore, Peter's carefully worded description of Jesus' death continues to drive a wedge between Jesus and the intentional acts of the Sanhedrin to discredit him. Not only does Peter again assert that these Jewish leaders killed Jesus but they killed him by "hanging him on ...

3528. Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to do what he can there at the roadside. Before even moving the man to safety, he administers rudimentary first aid, wine as a cleansing disinfectant, oil as a soothing healing aid and bandages for comfort and cleanliness. Only then does the Samaritan carefully move the traveler to safe quarters at a nearby inn. At the conclusion of this parable, Jesus confronts the lawyer with yet another question. Who was the real neighbor? Obviously, the lawyer can choose only the Samaritan. As his final answer to the ...

3529. Luke 11:1-13

Luke 11:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... vv.2-4) and the "ask" saying (vv.9-10). It is the very familiarity of these words that demand we examine them now with a careful eye and an open mind trying to focus on the text instead of the centuries of tradition they now represent to us. Note first that the ... very seriously. Unexpected midnight visitors who perhaps had traveled late in order to escape the desert heat must be cared for correctly. The rudely awakened friend's reluctant compliance foreshadows the examples Jesus cites as God's wholly gracious ...

3530. Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... reveals nothing more about the situation surrounding the "lost sheep" than its disappearance and the shepherd's decision to "leave the ninety-nine" in order to seek it out. Concerned interpreters have often volunteered that surely this shepherd must have somehow secured care and safety for those 99 while he went out searching. But Jesus' parable says nothing of the sort. What drives the shepherd out into the wilderness is a determination, bordering almost on an obsession, to find and reclaim his lost sheep ...

3531. Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of one's heart. This parable is divided into two parts. Verses 19-26 tell the most familiar part of the story. Much has been made about the fact that of all Jesus' parables, this is the only one in which one of the characters is carefully named. That the poor man is called "Lazarus" has led many scholars on a mad rush for clues that might connect this Lazarus with the other known Lazarus of Jesus' acquaintance - his best friend from Bethany, who rose from the dead at Jesus' command. While many literary ...

3532. Luke 18:9-14

Luke 18:9-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to reflect both genuine concerns of Jesus and accurate Lukan theology; in the opening and closing verses of this parable, the gospel writer clearly is setting the table. In order to delineate this parable in the genre of an "example" story, Luke takes care to set the stage for its presentation by referring to "some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt" (v.9). But the characters in this story, both the Pharisee and the tax collector, are actually caricatures ...

3533. John 10:11-18

John 10:11-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... from the synagogue community so that his testimony would not disrupt their established order. In verse 11 Jesus now proclaims that he is also "the good shepherd." As the shepherd Jesus knows each and every one of his sheep by name. The daily care and safekeeping of the sheep are his responsibility. Furthermore, this responsibility extends even to the point of death. Unlike the "hired hand" (read Pharisee) who has no personal investment in the safety and well being of the sheep, the shepherd is motivated by ...

3534. 1 Samuel 16:14-23

1 Samuel 16:14-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... inadvertently committed this sin at some point in their lives. Jesus rightly perceives that when the scribes suggest that the basis of the saving acts he has performed are evil, not good, they are denying God's work through Jesus. The scribes are carefully rejecting God, rejecting God's goodness, and rejecting the saving nature of the Holy Spirit by attributing them all to evil. Having squelched the scribes, Jesus now turns to his blood relatives who have sided with popular opinion and judged his behavior ...

3535. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... class of his day. It is important to note that the merchants James cites are in no way unique or unusual in their described activities. These merchants, like business-builders everywhere, carefully plan their itineraries, their time-frames, and their profit-margins. On the surface this is no great sin, it is simply "taking care of business." But James finds a glaring fault in the business-as-usual attitude. What scandalizes James is how these merchants dwell entirely in the economic sphere. They are only ...

3536. John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... more explicable. What is the world's oldest profession? It is not what you think it is. Gardening is the world's oldest profession. The Bible's first commandment to the First Adam, God's gardener, was to "till" the garden and "care" for it. The Hebrew word for "keep" (shamar) expresses deep protection and care. It is the same word used in the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:4 ("The Lord bless you and keep you") and Cain's defensive response in Gen. 4:9 ("Am I my brother's keeper?" You bet you are!). Adam is ...

3537. Matthew 24:36-44

Matthew 24:36-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to record these words of Jesus, he and his readers know that they are the second generation of believers - and that no parousia has yet occurred. To reconcile Jesus' prediction with temporal reality, Matthew carefully juxtaposes 24:36 with Christ's earlier words. Here Jesus himself admits that the Father alone, not the Son, not the angels, not anyone else, knows the exact time of the parousia. Thus Matthew uses Jesus' words to both heighten temporal expectations and to then effectively de-temporalize the ...

3538. 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

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

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... state of Eli's family and the decrepit spiritual life at Shiloh that was the result of that family's behavior make it easy to understand why as a result "the word of the LORD was rare in those days." Note, however, that the author has been careful to keep the young and still innocent Samuel well-distanced from all the Shiloh shenanigans of Eli's sons. Three times young Samuel is referred to before his call is described in 3:2-20. In two instances, Samuel is described as "ministering before (to) the LORD ...

3539. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... condition experienced as being "cursed" then it is self-evident that such a spirit cannot be from God. Likewise, the spiritually gifted insight that reveals "Jesus is Lord" is an utterance that could only come from the genuine Spirit of God. Next, Paul carefully addresses the still confusing fact that while there is only one genuine Spirit, its presence is manifested in a variety of ways. This diversity-in-unity is, in fact, the greatest strength, the most unique gift, of the Holy Spirit. Instead of forcing ...

3540. Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)

Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of jewelry. But are we willing to wear our colors outside our territory? Are we willing to die blending in with the crowd; die being invisible? Recently, when interviewing for a volunteer chaplain's position at a children's hospital, I was asked by the Director of Pastoral Care if I always wore my cross; if it was necessary. When questioned, he said he was afraid I might offend someone who was not of our faith. I replied that yes, I wear my cross so that I can be identified by the children where I work as ...

3541. Hosea 1:2-10

Hosea 1:2-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ba'alism. The people of the covenant were slowly sinking into syncretism willfully marrying bits of Yahwism to pieces of the Canaanite pagan fertility practices. They still claimed to be God's chosen covenant people while at the same time they carefully attended to the seasonal worship demands and sacrifices of the Canaanite cults. They were concerned about pleasing Yahweh, but they also attempted to curry favor with the ba'alist gods and goddesses. The allure of Canaanite religion was powerful. It ...

3542. Luke 12:13-21

Luke 12:13-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... With this in mind, Jesus then continues with a warning against greed, saying to "them," i.e., the crowd of people: "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions" (v ... .15). Jesus implies that greed and covetousness are difficult to see and to guard against. "Take care" (horao) is a softened version of the stronger and better translated "Watch out! (NIV) or "Look!" "Be on your guard" (phulasso) carries ...

3543. A Powerful Sacrament

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... you. ‘Baptized!’ ‘Ohhh . . .’ “Even within the church, some of us have a tendency to be dismissive of people who are a little slower or needy or obnoxious than we’d like them to be. We have a tendency to create in‑crowds and out‑crowds, those who get care and attention and those allowed to slip slowly out of the circle. We have a tendency to do these things, but of course we won’t. Why not? Baptized!” (4) This is baptism as it was meant to be. Many of us need to ask the question whether ...

3544. God’s Chosen

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

Gary Nicolosi

... the Dorchester section of Boston. Their other boy was Jimmy. The dad died young of a heart attack, and Mary was left to raise the two boys, nine-year-old Jimmy and seven-year-old Danny. To pay the rent she scrubbed floors at a chronic care hospital. Jimmy took good care of Danny. Dan felt at home with all the kids because no one told him he was different. Then one day, as they were boarding a trackless trolley, some strange kids shouted, "No morons on the bus!" That was the day Jimmy Hickey learned to fight ...

3545. Matthew 3:13-17

Matthew 3:13-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... people with suspiciously hybrid backgrounds to make it a prestigious address. Yet Matthew begins his baptismal narrative by reminding readers that Galilee was Jesus' home - a fact that makes John's confession all the more startling. Matthew 3:1-11 carefully presents John the Baptist as a serious, prophetic figure, his life and work foretold by Isaiah, his mission carried out with zeal and authority. When Jesus, a scruffy traveler from Galilee, appears before the impressive John seeking baptism, the Baptizer ...

3546. Matthew 28:1-10

Matthew 28:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... that these two women might have been what the church would later call "deacons," a responsible position whose duties included the care and preparation of corpses. Note that while John emphasized that "it was still dark" (20:1), Matthew proclaims the day ... snow itself being a rare and wondrous occurrence in those desert-like regions. The guards posted at the tomb, whom Matthew alone takes care to stipulate (27:64-66), are weak-kneed and worthless in the face of the angel's power. The symbol of Roman imperial ...

3547. 1 Peter 1:17-23

1 Peter 1:17-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... servant "redeems" (ransoms) Israel from her sins. 1 Peter speaks here of "a lamb without blemish or spot" (an image itself recalled from Exodus 12:5), just as Isaiah 53:7 had spoken of the suffering servant as a "lamb." Thus 1 Peter carefully welds this new Christian community of faith to the history of God's redemptive work carried out in the first rescue mission in Exodus and as foretold in Isaiah's prophetic witness of future deliverance. God's past, present and promised future redemptive activity ...

3548. Acts 2:42-47

Acts 2:42-47

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of Pentecost and celebrating the conversion of new believers, this flare-up of faith would quickly die down and burn out. Like pouring lighter fluid on the barbecue - it's hard to get the coals to "catch" before all the fuel is gone. Luke takes care to end his description of the miracles of Pentecost by detailing the greatest yet quietest miracle of all. Instead of blazing up then dying out, those individuals who experience the Pentecostal touch of the Holy Spirit are able to come together and quickly form ...

3549. Acts 7:55-60

Acts 7:55-60

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... on the brink of the grave. Like Jesus, Stephen begs divine mercy for his killers. While Stephen's selfless sacrifice of life and his loving and forgiving nature mirror Jesus' own attitudes in life and death, the circumstances of their deaths are quite different. Jesus' death was carefully and legally orchestrated by the religious authorities. The mob crying out for Barabbas instead of Jesus was about as spontaneous as the outbreaks of applause and cheers at our national political conventions. Everything was ...

3550. Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... iron rule of humans over the rest of the earth by reminding us to look forward to Genesis 2:15 - where the second (but really first) creation story defines the human role as more servant than master. We are charged, goes the argument, with keeping and caring for this earth - not exploiting and exhausting all its resources. As helpful as that look forward is, we are today in Genesis 1. What the first creation story gives us that the second obscures is a clear outline of how created life exists because of a ...

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