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 3826 to 3850 of 4988 results

3826. You Are My Witnesses

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... the Risen Christ in sharing the good news. Now they would be involved in a new way. He would depart from them to be with the Father. Yet he would be present with them in a new and remarkable way. They should remain in Jerusalem to receive from him the gift of the Spirit. To be sure, they had been prompted by the Spirit of God to be in his entourage to begin with. However, now Jesus said the disciples would be "clothed with power from on high." What would happen is that all they had experienced with him and ...

3827. The Advocate

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... , Luther begins the explanation of the third article of the Creed like this: I believe that I cannot by my own reason or effort believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts and sanctified and kept me in true faith. Your Advocate not only brings you to saving faith by witnessing to you; he also inspires you to witness to others. "You also are my witnesses," Jesus says. A witness is one who has been close to and intimate ...

3828. Last But Yet First

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... now they are found, they were dead in trespasses and sins, but now they are alive in Christ Jesus and by the Holy Spirit." In one of Ngaio Marsh's novels of New Zealand, a tiki, a Maori religious symbol, has been given as a birthday gift to the leading lady of a group of actors from England. It is being passed from hand to hand through the company. They all find the figure grotesque and its fertility symbolism embarrassing. There is mocking laughter and muttered comments as the actors point out its strange ...

3829. No Box Seats In The Kingdom

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

William G. Carter

... do they really know? Do we know? Jesus came to proclaim the kingdom, the mysterious reign of God that grows like a secret seed, ever so gently, ever so silently, until it becomes the greatest of all plants. One morning, God willing, we will wake up and see this gift of God and we will wonder how it happened. We won't know. The kingdom grows in spite of us, in ways we cannot comprehend. The key is Jesus himself, who comes with a kind of paradoxical, left-handed power. Recall what Jesus does in the Gospel of ...

3830. Peace And The Peacemakers

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

Richard Patt

... . Often the most painful thing for us is to swallow is our pride. Again, Christ's forgiveness gives us the grace to tolerate the swallowing. Does Christ come "to give peace" instead of "division"? Of course he does. But he didn't come leisurely walking among us with the gift of peace under his arm as a handout. The peace we needed had to be won. Thank God, a prince went forth for our sakes, the Prince of Peace, who now wants nothing more than that we, too, should be peacemakers across the earth"

3831. The Crux Of Being A Christian

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Richard Patt

... and our faith involves no cost, no pain, no crux whatsoever on our part. Good Christian doctrine teaches us that Christ bore all the pain, all the cost, all the cross. Christ alone saves us, Christians preach, and even our faith in him is totally God's gift to us. So we are still left with the question about what the crux of being a Christian is. Throughout this reading, however, Jesus never tells us specifically what the crux is. But I believe that today's second Bible reading does reveal this crux of the ...

3832. God's Passionate Concern

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Richard Patt

3833. Dinner Parties With A Difference

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... or divorced, she might have turned to the only means of livelihood open to her in those days. We can assume she gave few alms. Fasting would not be good for her profession. Attendance at religious services was rare. She might have sent a holiday gift to the temple or synagogue as a kind of guilt offering. But she was not the kind of person priests and rabbis could count on for solid support of their religious institutions. Mothers attempted to shield their daughters from this woman's influence. Wives hoped ...

3834. Prepare The Way

Malachi 2:17--3:5

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... Likewise, Jesus was born at such a real time. We go about preparing for Christmas as though it had nothing to do with the world. We prepare as though the point were to create a fairy kingdom, like the Nutcracker Suite, out of twinkling lights, extravagant gifts, and a good, warm dose of "Christmas spirit." The point of today, however, is that God meets us right here and now, in a world of large deficits, long lines at soup kitchens, and no vacancies in the shelters. Christ came into this world of frightened ...

3835. Homecoming

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... in the Babylon of malls, movies, and market places. We have forgotten that we are pilgrims and strangers in an alien land. We have exchanged the nourishment of God's word for the bread of affluence, the New Jerusalem for a paradise of plastic, and the true gift of Christmas for a mess of commercial pottage. When we come to that realization, we discover that God still wants to turn us toward home. God still wants to turn our sorrow into joy. Martin Luther called it the great exchange. Jesus takes on our sins ...

3836. Called To Pull Down; Called To Rebuild

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... two who took preference in God's sight (Luke 4:25-27). Then the people were outraged and sought to kill Jesus by throwing him off a cliff; but Jesus passed through them and went on his way (Luke 4:29-30). The gracious words of God are a free gift; we are not entitled to them; we cannot lay claim to them ourselves. If we cannot relinquish our pride and autonomy, if we cannot hear both law and gospel, then Jesus will pass through our midst and be on his way. Like Jeremiah, we are between a rock and a ...

3837. Echoes

Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... call the transfiguration, suddenly we hear the words of his baptism echo from heaven again: "This is my son, the beloved. Listen to him." The echoes that reverberate from baptismal waters and off the mountain of bright light keep echoing across the ages. That echo is a gift. Knowing what we are made of, we often can't hear the first time what we need to hear, and hence the word needs to pass by us over and over again. This word from baptism to mountaintop reverberates long enough to teach this lesson: every ...

3838. Advent Of Angels

Malachi 1:6-14

Sermon

Tony Everett

... depths of your heart? Who has helped to prepare you to receive the Lord? Who has helped you to hear the Advent message: Christ has come; Christ is coming; Christ will come again. Think about this. You might be an angel to others. God may be using your gifts to touch the lives of persons who are in the midst of suffering or confusion. God may indeed be challenging you to be a Malachi (my angel) to others in need. Where are these angels? They are all around us. God is in the strong and loving discipline ...

3839. Tiny Town: Promised Power

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Tony Everett

... , died penniless and miserable. Success is not a "rags-to-riches" story of self-help and achievement. Happiness is not accomplished through our own efforts to realize our "full potential." True meaning and purpose in life, authentic success, is only found in the free gift of God in Jesus Christ. True nourishment and strength are not obtained through what money can buy or personal status can achieve. Nourishment is given to you, for you in the bread and wine at the Lord's table. This meal nourishes the soul ...

3840. New Name, New Status

Isaiah 62:1-12

Sermon

Tony Everett

... for its people. Azubah and Shemamah became Hephizabah and Beulah. The formerly forsaken people and their desolated nation became "Delight of the Lord" -- "Married" and no longer standing alone in ruins (v. 4). New names, new status, new perceptions of relationship; new gifts from God. Isaiah reminds the people that just as a young man chooses a maiden for a lifelong relationship of love in marriage, "so shall your builder [the Lord] marry you" (v. 5a). "Just as the bridegroom finds delight in his bride so ...

3841. Who's In Charge Here, Anyway?

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

Tony Everett

... his brothers saw Joseph approaching, they plotted revenge. Who could blame them? Joseph had been nothing but a source of trouble for them since the day he was born. They did all the hard work. They were faithful to their father, too. Yet Joseph received the gifts and the love that was rightfully, justly, theirs. So they plotted. After deciding not to kill him, they came up with a plan to strip Joseph of his robe of luxury and throw him into an empty cistern used for gathering rainwater. Eventually, when a ...

3842. The Spirit Of Pentecost

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... of Pentecost! In reviewing your Bibles and studying the early Church, the work of the apostles and others, you will find numerous divisions regarding spiritual belief and practice. Paul speaks to it in Corinthians regarding the matter of spiritual gifts and speaking in tongues. He discusses conflict around circumcision and other matters of the faith. Paul speaks to the issues of divisions among the people, which were primarily spiritual, doctrinal, and behavioral. Even after Pentecost, the people were ...

3843. Extreme Measures

1 Kings 21:1-29

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... , but it is not unusual today where people are killed and kingdoms are toppled, where people murder loved ones to get the insurance payoff, and where others do anything to satiate their lust for greed. The land was invaluable to Naboth because it was a gift from God and a family inheritance he did not want to surrender. But Ahab, annoyed with Naboth's decision, and after returning home from rebuke, moaned and complained to his wife Jezebel of the matter. She, with her devious heart, created a plot to have ...

3844. Knowing All Things

John 14:26

Illustration

John R. Steward

... : $10.00. For knowing where to tinker: $9,990.00. Total: $10,000.00." Henry Ford got the point and paid the bill. Jesus promised his disciples that one was coming who would lead them into all truth. You could call him an expert and he is sent as a gift.

3845. It's Only Money

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

John R. Steward

... upset. Someone shouted over to Abe and asked what was wrong with those two boys. He said, "The same thing that is wrong with the rest of the world. I have one walnut and each boy wants it." The sooner we learn that the things that we have are a gift from God to use and not to own, the better off we will be.

3846. Vicarious Faith Won't Help

Luke 15:1

Illustration

John R. Steward

... Bible. The mother couldn't really believe what she was hearing, so she asked her daughter what verse the pastor had read. She said that it was that verse that says, "Jesus receives sinners and 'edith' with them." We should all hear him speak our names and believe that the gift of the cross is just for us. Reprinted from By the Obedience of One (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House), p. 80.

3847. Advent 1

Luke 21:5-38, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Jeremiah 33:1-26, Psalm 25:1-22

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... sorrow is the injustice existing in the world when babies have to be born in the absence of adequate shelter and care. It is not only Jesus who was born in such circumstances, but multitudes of others even now in our world. If the precious gift of life with all its potential is to be realized, such children need to survive despite such difficulties. The tragedy is that many do not survive and that potential is wasted because society does not provide adequately for their possibility to be realized. The birth ...

3848. Proper 6

Luke 7:36-50, Galatians 2:11-21, 1 Kings 21:1-29, Psalm 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... debtor, or the women cured, they may be more likely to show love and devotion in their service to Christ and his church. 2. A Thank Offering. The woman of the city brought an alabaster box of anointment to pour over Jesus' feet. It was an expensive gift of love and devotion. Jesus did not require it of her. She did it as a spontaneous thank offering. A response of offerings to the church may be viewed in many ways. A frequent complaint heard is that the church is always asking for money. A stale cliche ...

3849. Proper 17

Psalm 81:1-16, Hebrews 13:1-25, Jeremiah 2:1-3:5, Luke 14:1-14

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... self in relation to other people? 3. Expecting Rewards. Jesus addresses the issue of doing good in order to be rewarded as opposed to finding the blessing in just doing the deeds themselves. Some people have read Jesus' teachings on repayment to mean that all gifts and all good deeds should be done anonymously. When does giving recognition for good deeds lead to pride and the kind of exaltation that can lead to humiliation? Should the church never honor persons who perform tasks, whether as paid staff or as ...

3850. Proper 25

Psalm 65:1-13, Luke 18:9-14, Joel 2:28-32, 2 Timothy 4:9-18, 2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... fell short of what he expected and wanted to happen. Only grace allows persons to feel justified. It is the awareness that God accepts and loves them as they are, with all their blemishes and failures, that leaves them justified. God's love is a gift, not payment earned by merit. 4. Where Do You Stand? Jesus constantly reached out to the people who were in distress. He did not hesitate to mingle with or even to have physical contact with people who were frequently shunned by others. He healed the lepers ...

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