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 3776 to 3800 of 5000 results

3776. In Whose Likeness?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Chris Ewing

Okay, teacher, you think you're so smart — is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor? Talk about your loaded question! If we're talking about the law of Rome, the law of the imperial government, the law of this part of the world, of course it's legal to pay taxes to the emperor — it's illegal not to! And just in case Jesus was hoping to fudge a bit on the answer, there are among his questioners members of the Herodian party, supporters of the puppet king, toadies to the Roman government, here listening to ...

3777. Are All Your Sons Here?

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

I remember sixth grade as though it were yesterday. Those shy, awkward times when we were all sliding down the slippery slope of adolescence. The young people I was growing up with, including myself, were walking this line between childhood and adulthood. One day we would step on one side of the line, and on the next day we would fall down on the other. There was no plan or intention about any of it. We were, of course, new at this stuff. Our bodies were changing; expectations of the world around us were ...

3778. Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

I don't need to tell you that we belong to a portion of the Christian family called the "Protestant Church." I also don't need to tell you that there's a whole lot of history behind all this, and frankly, I am going to choose to share that on another day. One part of our Protestant identity is something that we see every time we come into our church. It's something we look at every day, and don't think about too much. Take a look up on our altar. What do you see? That's right. It's the cross. On our altar ...

3779. This Is In the Bible?

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

My mother saved everything from my childhood — little clay sculptures I made in church school, drawings, odd pieces of clothing, and of course, report cards. I have report cards going from high school all the way back to elementary school days. They make interesting reading, actually. And at times they are even a bit comical. One teacher noted wryly that as I got older I might settle down a bit. Another teacher praised my good spirit but chided my talking and passing notes in class. Then there was one that ...

3780. Set Apart at Christmas

Romans 1:1-7

Sermon

John N. Brittain

I am so old that I can actually remember when there was a difference between the number of "shopping days" until Christmas and the number of calendar days. They always ran a little box with that magical number on the front page of the Cleveland Press, itself now a faded memory. (For those of you under a certain age, this was because in the day most stores were not open for business on Sunday. Can you believe it?) I am, however, not too old to recall worries that the central message of Christmas was being ...

3781. Adopted! Thank God!

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Missionary James King tells the true story of an African woman in one of his churches who attended every service accompanied by an old, mongrel dog. The dog would enter with the lady and sit beside her during the service. She always sat on an outside seat beside the aisle. At the conclusion of the service, the woman would always come and kneel at the altar for prayer, and the dog would faithfully take his place beside her. The woman’s husband was a cruel man who deeply resented her devotion to Christ, and ...

3782. The Great Physician

Matthew 4:23-25

Sermon

King Duncan

It was rumored that the owner of a certain hardware store had discovered a cure for arthritis. As you might imagine, this stirred a great deal of interest in the small town where the hardware store was located. One day, the locals saw a little old lady, bent over on her cane, enter the store for a visit. A little later this same lady came out walking almost perfectly straight with her head held high. The crowd cheered. “It’s a miracle!” they declared. Then they wondered. What did the owner of the hardware ...

3783. Because I Live (Memorial Day)

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Actor Martin Sheen is known for his deep religious and social convictions. Some of you will remember him best for his role as President Bartlett in the television show “The West Wing.” Sheen shared with motivational speaker Tony Robbins an interesting story about something that happened to him while he was making the movie Apocalypse Now. The cast had been filming under a grueling schedule deep in the jungles of the Philippines. After a restless night, Sheen woke up the next morning and realized he was ...

3784. When the Caterers Weren’t Available

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Today’s lesson is on one of Jesus’ best known miracles, the feeding of the 5,000. Of course, as someone has noted, if Jesus were alive today, he wouldn’t be allowed to get away with half the miracles he performed. It’s not just that we live in such a skeptical, rationalist age. It’s all the red tape as well. Here are a few examples. Turning water into wine. This would provoke immediate protests from the alcoholic beverage industry, who would argue that it was unfair competition, amounting to a monopoly. It ...

3785. A Strange Authority

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

When I was just barely into my teens, I went through a period of time when I wanted to be someone else. I didn't like the way I looked. I was self-conscious about the spaces in my teeth. I hated that the veins in my hands stuck out. I wanted to be just like my friend, Marilyn. She was perfect — in everything — and, the boys liked her. I used to stand in front of the mirror and practice smiling like Marilyn. For a while, I dressed like she dressed, walked like she walked, and laughed like she laughed. But, ...

3786. The Fred Factor

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

A couple of months ago, I read the book Good to Great, in which Gillette was named as a great company. But I was having a hard time getting my mind around what made it so great. Did those executives, engineers, and assembly workers really wake up each morning thinking, "Today is the day that we are going to create an even better razor that will produce smoother legs and faces around the world"? Do people really get charged about that? Am I missing something? Then a friend gave me a small book called The ...

3787. Jesus Would Do What?

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

A woman named Naomi Magdanz in Lodi, California tells about her 6-year-old grandson, Joshua. Joshua attended a Vacation Bible School with the theme, “What Would Jesus Do?” To remind the children of the theme, they made little armbands with WWJD on the band. One evening Joshua’s mother asked him to change his clothes. Joshua looked at his armband and said, “WWJD - What would Jesus do?” His mother replied that she thought Jesus would do what his mother asked him to do and change his clothes. Joshua thought ...

3788. You Provoke Me...and That's Good

Hebrews 10:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

A three-year-old boy opened a birthday gift from his grandmother. It was a water pistol. He squealed with delight and headed for the sink to fill it. His father was not so pleased. Provoked, he turned to his own mom and said, “I’m surprised at you. Don’t you remember how we used to drive you crazy with water guns?” His mother gave him a wicked smile and replied, “I remember!” Has anyone here ever heard one of your parents say, “Don’t you provoke me!” Maybe it was when you had a water gun in your hand. What ...

3789. God's Playful Wisdom

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Sermon

Stephen P. McCutchan

If I mentioned Sophia to you, what memories would it evoke? Would you think of a movie called Sophie's Choice? Or perhaps you know of someone whose name is Sophia. Some of you might think of a controversy stirred up several years ago at a women's conference that was exploring feminine images for God. Some who objected to their ideas accused them of pagan worship when they used Sophia to refer to the feminine side of God. If you are from the Eastern Orthodox branch of the church or even have good friends ...

3790. Collections or Connections?

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Happy Easter, church. Christ Is Risen. He Is Risen Indeed. The resurrection of Jesus is God's final word spoken in the face of sin, suffering, evil and death. Thanks Be to God. Easter egg hunts have been in the news all week, both because of the controversy in the White House over the invitations that went out warning that the one on the White House lawn might need to be cancelled, as well as the refusal of some school districts to refer to “Easter eggs,” only “Spring eggs.” Come on. Easter egg hunts? They ...

3791. You Never Noticed

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

“I used to think I was poor,” says one comedian. “Then they told me I wasn’t poor, I was needy. Then they told me it was self‑defeating to think of myself as needy. I was deprived. (Oh, not deprived but rather underprivileged.) Then they told me that underprivileged was overused. I was disadvantaged. “I still don’t have a dime,” this comedian concludes, “But I have a great vocabulary.” Maybe that comedian was laughing to keep from crying, because whatever you may call it, being poor isn’t any fun. “There ...

3792. The Door Is Open

John 10:1-21

Sermon

James Merritt

I remember it like it happened yesterday and it was almost 37 years ago. I put my hand on a door handle that would lead into a worship center. In that worship center, a crowd had gathered to see me tie the knot with a young lady, named Teresa, which I had only known for 6 months. I knew if I walked through that door I was walking into a life-long commitment of who I was going to spend the rest of my life with - for better or for worse, in sickness or in health, for richer or poorer. Not long after that I ...

3793. Are You a Polar Bear?

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

A piece of humor has been circulating on the Internet for some time about a young polar bear cub that approached his mother one day and asked, “Mom, am I a polar bear?” “Of course you are,” she replied with a smile. “OK,” said the cub, and padded off. Later, he found his dad out by the iceberg. “Dad, am I a polar bear?” he asked. “Sure you are, son!” said his dad, wondering why his son would ask such a silly thing. The next day, the cub asked the question again and again. “Are you and mom polar bears?” he ...

3794. The Wrong Gift

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

What did you get for Christmas? We shouldn't ask it, but we do, don't we? It is part and parcel of our experience of the season. While Christmas gift-giving may have originated in Christian communities seeking to celebrate the divine gift to us, it is now our culture that demands we spend and purchase and drive the economy into the black through our holiday purchases. We are obligated to give gifts. We are cajoled into giving. We must ?nd the "right" gift for each person on our list. Can you do it? Did you ...

3795. Second Chances

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

(Growing Strong in the Season of Lent, Lent 3) There is a hilarious story about a farmer who had three sons: Ron, Don and Little John. All had their names on the church roll but none ever attended church or had time for God. Then one day Don was bitten by a rattlesnake. The doctor was called and he did all he could to help Don, but the outlook for his recovery was very dim indeed. So the pastor was called to evaluate the situation. The pastor arrived, and began to pray: “O wise and righteous Father, we ...

3796. Leadership and Servanthood

1 Corinthians 4:1-21, 1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: Christian leaders must remember they are mere servants who are expected to be trustworthy and eager to enhance the mission and message of their master. Understanding the Text First Corinthians 3:16 and 17 function as a bridge connecting two sides of the same argument. Still addressing the secular nature of the church’s behavior, Paul concludes his exhortation to use superior building materials with a reminder that the Corinthians are building God’s holy temple. This reminder becomes the launching ...

3797. Imitation and Role Modeling

1 Corinthians 10:23--11:1, 1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: Christ followers must aim to become imitators of Christ in all they do. Their testimony to their relationship to Christ trumps their Christian “rights” and leads to a rejection of contexts that hamper this testimony. Understanding the Text After a rather direct warning to the “strong” Christians in Corinth against self-assuredness and the pursuit of personal rights at the expense of the “weak,” Paul now returns to his earlier differentiating argument about the relationship between idol meat and ...

3798. “The Lord Looks Down . . . to See If There Are Any Who Understand”

Psalm 14:1-7

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: The world’s God-deniers will find, maybe to their surprise, that the God they deny is found “in the company of the righteous.” Understanding the Text The form of Psalm 14 is sometimes considered to be an individual lament, and in tone, it is, because the psalmist grieves over the vacuum of faith that he perceives in his world. But it does not follow the form of the lament. Others have suggested it is a wisdom psalm, in view of its use of wisdom language. In wisdom terms, the word “fool” stands ...

3799. Nabuchadnezzar’s Dream and Daniel's Interpretation

Daniel 2:1-23, Daniel 2:24-49

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

Nebuchadnezzar Is Troubled by a Dream (2:1-16): Big Idea: God sometimes allows mere mortals, however powerful, to discover the bankruptcy of their belief systems before revealing himself through his messenger. Understanding the Text Daniel 2:1–49 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in two ways. First, it advances the narrative of chapters 1–6, in which the first four focus on Nebuchadnezzar (chaps. 1–2 with historical markers and 3–4 without) and the last two show the transition from ...

3800. I am the Door

John 10:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There was a group of tourists from the Midwest who were in London and being guided through Westminster Abbey. The guide was very proud of the history attached to that structure as he explained to the American tourists, “many of the leading citizens of the empire sleep all over this church.” One American from the Midwest didn’t bat an eye as he responded, “We have the same problem in America, but we either improve the ventilation or get another preacher.” I’m really not so concerned about you sleeping in ...

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