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 3676 to 3700 of 4653 results

3676. The Thoughts of Our Hearts

Luke 2:22-40

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... is no room in the gospel that we have received for being overly sentimental about the baby Jesus whose birth we celebrated just days ago: Luke won't let us get away with it even though he is the only gospel writer to give us all the marvelously touching stories about angels serenading shepherds on a hilltop, and the baby born in a barn, resting in a manger instead of a bed. But even though Luke paints a picture that we have all grown to love and cherish, he won't allow sentimentality to overcome this one ...

3677. Just Say the Word

John 1:1-9, 10-18

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... , but rather the two-way sort in which runners earned their keep carrying messages back and forth — the swifter the runner, the better the communication. God's word comes to us as if by the swiftest runner, as if by the miracle of a heavenly internet, God desires to touch us with his word, and to do so right away. This whole image of God's word is filled with power. This is the word that was spoken and worlds were created, the word that moved over the face of the waters and the world began to take shape ...

3678. A Whole City at The Door

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... 's bill, which apparently had been in the accounts receivable file for a long, long time. The bookkeeper says to the doctor, "He says that since you told him his recovery was a miracle, he sent his check to the church." Our passage from Mark touches on the subject of miraculous healing. This early sequence of events in Jesus' ministry seems to set the stage for his growing reputation. Mark says, "at once his fame began to spread everywhere throughout the surrounding region..." (v. 28), "the whole city was ...

3679. Looking Up: Looking Out

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... , on the heels of Jesus' prediction of his own suffering and death, this passage brings into sharp focus a holy moment, made more holy by the very recognition that it shall not last: "Just when we are safest," wrote Robert Browning, "there's a sunset touch." John Killinger, teacher of a generation of preachers, once reflected upon a transfiguring moment in his own life. It hit me one day as I was sitting in the chancel of a church, waiting to deliver the guest sermon. A beautiful woman was playing a violin ...

3680. Clearing Out the Pipes

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

John Smylie

... the joy of growth. Betsy once wrote, "Nowhere do we find this truth more dramatically portrayed than in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Nowhere do we participate more fully in this truth than in the liturgical drama of the Eucharist. Here we celebrate, we touch, and we eat and drink the death and life of our precious Lord. Here we learned the price and the liberation of letting go." That truth was brought to Betsy years ago one time when she received communion at an unfamiliar church. As she saw ...

3681. On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

John Smylie

... was in a leather case. In just one, very long night, we were raided by wolves in the Judean wilderness. The danger was real, and one can only imagine what our Lord faced during his forty days as he fasted and prayed and faced far greater dangers than we touched upon during our short visit. The wilderness was not a safe place, certainly not for our Lord who didn't have a large group with him as he faced the temptations of the devil. Not only did our Lord face the barrenness of the wilderness, no doubt he ...

3682. Fred and Barney

John 10:11-18

Sermon

John Smylie

... the time when we purchased it, it only retained a little over two acres. The house was built in 1813 and next to it was a gentle stream. Most of the land was in the backyard. The property was in the shape of a triangle with only a small portion touching the road in front. The previous owners had dug a hole in the backyard and filled it with water so they could keep some ducks. The pond was stagnant as there was no source of fresh water except what little water could be pumped from the stream that ran by ...

3683. Tough Talk for Tentative Disciples

John 6:56-69

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... walk away. Certainly, there would later come a time when Peter would deny the Lord and go his own way for a while, but the reality is that even then he could never really walk away. Once we have tasted the light of Christ's glory and have sensed the touch of the master's hand on our lives, and once we have known the best that he has to offer us, we will never again be satisfied with second best. Peter knows that and asks, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." We may ...

3684. Agony and Ecstasy

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Steven Molin

... dancing, and pain is no more, and sadness is replaced by joy. For all the saints, indeed! So today, even with sadness and melancholy, we remember those saints who have gone before us, and while we miss them, we are so grateful that their lives touched our own. I am reminded of the father leading his young daughter into a great cathedral, basking in the light shining through the stained-glass windows depicting biblical heroes. The little girl pointed up at the windows and said, "What are those, daddy?" and ...

3685. Celebrate This!

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Steven Molin

... been given to the cause. Have you ever wondered why some people give? Have you ever analyzed why you give? Sometimes it is because we have extra, and it seems like the right thing to do. Sometimes it is because we have been moved — because something has touched an emotion deep within us — and even if we can't really afford it, we give anyway. Sometimes we give, simply because giving is the most articulate way we know of saying, "Thank you." It's a form of gratitude, really; giving is a natural response ...

3686. But Is It True?

Luke 2:8-20, Romans 16:25-27

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... unfolding? Is it true that God in the flesh would grow up to be a carpenter, be fine with being mistaken as a gardener, happy to have shepherds be his first visitors? Is it true that the King of kings would stoop down to wash feet, to touch the sick, to embrace the lonely? Is it true that the righteous one would stand to be ridiculed, mocked, and nailed to a crossbeam by sinful hands? The ancient prophecy, the mystery of old unfolds this night. And somewhere between the presents, the out-of-town visitors ...

3687. Epiphany: All about You!

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... are not even making eye contact. They are listening, watching, or talking — alone and plugged in, alone with these "weapons of mass distraction." Now, despite my ranting and raving, to be sure our high-tech age has enabled more people to stay in touch with family and friends around the world. I understand that. And we have become empowered to express ourselves and discover information on our own using the web. All good things. From email to blogsites to posting pictures, we are more connected than ever ...

3688. Faith vs. Good Works

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul touches on a topic that has captivated Christians and fragmented churches for centuries. What is the relationship between our faith and good works? If I am saved by faith alone, then what are my limits? Paul puts it this way [note the quotes]: "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything ...

3689. The Eyes of Faith

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... blinded eyes that are veiled and are unable to see the glory of God. Or you can live with eyes of faith that walk you through the storms of life. Let me explain that. Sometimes God parts the water and you walk right through the obstacle. Sometimes he touches the eyes and sight comes back. Sometimes he lifts you up on chariots of fire so you don't have to taste the stench of death. Sometimes God heals miraculously! Unfortunately, those are the exceptions. Usually (and don't ask me why), usually you can't get ...

3690. I Love You, Too

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... of God, this is the most fundamental. God is love. It's not just a theory; it's a fact. How do we know? God became a human being and lived as one of us. He embodied compassion by his actions and his teachings. He healed the sick and touched the untouchables. He embraced those who others turned away. He spoke on behalf of those who had no voice. He taught us to serve one another in humility and even love our enemies. He stood up to those who put following the rules above mercy and compassion. His entire ...

3691. Flesh and Spirit

Romans 8:12-17

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... a pastor of a church in Nashville. He was two years old, and we would leave him in the nursery, which was right under the sanctuary. During the worship service, we could hear him wailing away. It evoked in me a sense of guilt and inadequacy and anger, because it touched a voice deep inside me, a voice that tells me that like my crying son, I often feel cut off from the source of my life. This sense of being dependent on the one hand and being separate on the other is not bad in itself, though most of us ...

3692. Eyes on the Prize

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... focus on this dimension of reality, the dimension of God's love and grace, that gives him energy and vision to engage the contentious church at Corinth. To close out this lectionary passage, we dip our toes into the edges of the next chapter by touching chapter 5, verse 1: "For we know that if the earthly tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Again, Paul stresses the contrast between the world of materialism and a deeper, spiritual world. If ...

3693. A Plea from The Heart

2 Corinthians 6:1-13

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... week, and now she was idle and miserable. On a cool May morning two months later, before Mother went to work and before I left for school, Gran came to the breakfast table, began to eat, and then slumped over, with her head on the table. Mother touched her and then shouted to me: "Nibs, run get Dr. Paine!" Dr. Paine - quite a name for a doctor - lived across the street and was our family friend and doctor. His son, Johnny, and I played many hours together. On that May morning, however, I wasn't playing ...

3694. The Vision of God

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... of God. In the vision on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, Christ comes down to Paul, but in this vision in 2 Corinthians, Paul goes up to Christ. In both visions, however, it was Christ doing the initiating movement, not Paul. Both of these visions touch on a central theme of Paul's theology and his missionary activity: the grace and power of God. Paul was not seeking Christ on the road to Damascus. Rather he was actively persecuting the followers of Christ. He was going to Damascus to arrest them, and this ...

3695. Sleeping in on Sunday

Ephesians 6:10

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... safely in a well-preserved and pretty body. Rather, we should approach it sliding in broadside, thoroughly used up and worn out, exclaiming, "Wow, what a ride!" We were not created to sleep our lives away, but to arrive face-to-face with God, trusting that with his touch upon us we will rise to the full stature of our potential when we make ourselves available to his gift. We don't always know how he is using us. But when we present ourselves to his care and to his purpose and mission, we become instruments ...

3696. Heavenly Wisdom

James 3:13—4:8

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... When we happen to hear those few who express gratitude to God we are impressed and faintly surprised. Yet, the beauty of that testimony is nothing more than what you and I are capable of expounding. When we witness one of them committing a kind deed, we are touched. But you and I, when working in the service of our Lord, can respond in this way daily. Margaret Sangster, a social worker, told about a young boy in an urban ghetto who had been struck by a car and had not received proper medical attention. His ...

3697. Wiping Away the Tears

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Patrick J. Rooney

... upon the innocent children in our schools. Poverty, often accompanied by its close kin, domestic violence, is rampant in our society. Over 40,000 children die of malnutrition in our world every day. Good men die in a fire set by an arsonist, and cancer touches so many of those we know and love. Despite the worst that any Roman emperor could do, despite the pain that is endemic among them, despite the grief that surrounds them, engulfs them, and even threatens at times to overwhelm them, John on the island ...

3698. A Difficult Day to Follow Jesus

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... people from the terrorist attacks. The overwhelming majority of casualties in all four attacks were civilians, including nationals of over 70 countries. (1) There were many, many stories of incredible courage that came out of that tragic event. One of the most touching was the story of Jeremy Glick, a passenger on United Flight 93. Jeremy was the Sales and Marketing executive of a hot internet company. A former national collegiate judo champion in college, he was recently married and the proud father of a ...

3699. Is God Fair?

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... you from afar, God of glory, you have shown how great you are, but God of mercy, have mercy, and meet us in this place. God of wonder, all of heaven sings your praise, God of wonder, earth and sky your will obeys, but God of mercy, have mercy, and touch us with your grace, with your grace. God of mercy, God of mercy, God of mercy, oh, hear us, God of mercy, God of mercy, God of mercy ,come near us. God of mercy, God of mercy, God of mercy, oh, hear us, God of mercy, God of mercy, God ...

3700. “Love Your Enemies” Doesn’t Mean Don’t Make Any

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Jesus honed in on the performers of these most despicable jobs throughout his ministry. Jesus spoke with and reached out to exactly those who were supposed to be shunted off and shoved aside for the unredeemable “dirty jobs.” Jesus touched and healed the untouchable and unhealable — lepers, Gentiles, crazies. Jesus comforted a Roman centurion grieving for his daughter. Jesus extended his hand to those out of their minds, “possessed” by demons. But perhaps the most wretched refuse Jesus consoled ...

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