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 3851 to 3875 of 5000 results

3851. Blind Man's Bluff

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

Who would believe it? Saul, the primary punk adversary of the followers of the way, blind in Damascus? Saul, the instigator of Stephen’s stoning and death, the one who breathed out murderous threats against the followers of Jesus, now in Damascus in a spiritual safe house? Is this a bluff? Could this be a trick? Could this be a game concocted by the enemies of Jesus to lure us into a trap? How could a man who was feared by so many now be a blind, helpless squatter at a house on a street called Straight? ...

3852. Journey To Jerusalem

Luke 9:51-56

Sermon

Brett Blair

In 1536 Reformer William Farel recruited John Calvin to come to Geneva, Switzerland to pastor St. Peter's Church. Calvin, a sickly man all his life, was on his way to Strasbourg to be a quiet scholar, but he relented under this need, this request, to become a pastor. Two years later, the city fathers publicly banished Calvin from Geneva. Actually, Calvin felt relieved. The moral chaos of the city was terrible. He went to Strasbourg. Three years later in 1541, the same city fathers who had tried to ...

3853. Temptation

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Temptation. Oscar Wilde is quoted a saying, "I can resist everything -- except temptation!" Humorist Robert Orben has observed, "Most people want to be delivered from temptation but would like to keep in touch." Another wag has asked, "Why is it that opportunity knocks only once, yet temptation bangs on the door constantly?"(1) Once there was a small boy who wanted a pair of skates. His parents, hoping to teach him the value of money, informed him that he would have to save the required amount from his ...

3854. Connected

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

A newspaper reporter went to interview a successful entrepreneur. "How did you do it?" he asked. "How did you make all this money?" "I'm glad you asked," the entrepreneur replied. "Actually, it's a rather wonderful story. You see, when my wife and I married, we started out with a roof over our heads, some food in our pantry, and five cents between us. I took that nickel, went down to the grocery store, bought an apple, and shined it up. Then I sold it for ten cents." "What did you do then?" the reporter ...

3855. The Get-ready Man

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

James Thurber once told of a thin and lanky prophet who went around his boyhood hometown crying, "Get ready! Get ready! The world is coming to an end!" The community called him the Get-Ready Man. That tag could have been applied to John the Baptist. He was a get-ready man if there ever was one: "A voice crying in the wilderness, ˜Prepare the way of the Lord.’" This is the season of getting ready. That is the purpose of Advent. It is a time to get ready for the celebration of the Lord’s birth. Norm Lawson ...

3856. A Remedy For Anger

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever noticed that anger can cause us to do some dumb things? Several years ago William F. Merten of Mt. Clemens, Michigan, wrote to Reader's Digest to tell about a memorable argument he had with his wife. The argument was well under way as they left a party one evening. Once they were in the car, words were flying. The area they were driving through was not the best, so they stopped arguing just long enough to lock the doors. Then they started again. Merton's wife had really worked up a storm, and ...

3857. A Niche For Every Itch

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you noticed a growing trend in our society to classify people according to personality types as if we are trying to find a niche for every itch? For example, in the world of advertising, there is a theory that divides people into different groups based on their supposed lifestyles. For example, two of these groups are called the belongers and the achievers. Belongers are middle-class folks who want more than anything else to do the accepted thing. Therefore, to sell a product to people in this group ...

3858. Offer Them Christ

Romans 9:30--10:21

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: a map of your town and a highlighter Good morning, boys and girls. I want you to pretend with me. Let's say you had a friend, and that friend wanted to go from his/her house to McDonald's. Now, here's your friend's house (make a dot on the map), and here's McDonald's (make another dot). And to get to McDonald's, your friend wanted to take this road, then get off on this road, and then go over to this road, and (highlight a very circuitous, out of the way route, off-the-wall route), then take this ...

3859. Why The British Coast Guard Doesn't Like Eric, But God Does

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

Last year, newspapers around the world carried the story of Eric Abbott, a British sailor who makes a habit of getting lost. On August 10, 2000, the British coast guard rescued Eric Abbott for the sixth time after he sailed off course and ran aground. You would think after all these mishaps, he would give up sailing. No way. Abbott plans on hitting the water again soon. Some would admire Abbott for saying that he won't give up sailing. The members of the British coast guard don't share that admiration. It ...

3860. Taking Charge

Joshua 5:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

Every once in a while you hear a story and you think to yourself, that cannot be true! It has to be one of these urban myths that we hear about. It's one of those stories that is constantly making the rounds on the Internet that is allegedly true--though no one can verify it. However, I received this story from a reliable source. In January of 2000, a woman in Austin, Texas, successfully sued a furniture store for injuries she received when she tripped over a small child who was running loose throughout ...

3861. A Lightning Rod Instead of a Cross

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

For just a moment, I want you to imagine a lightning rod on top of our steeple [rather than a cross]. Some cynic with a wicked sense of humor has said that, if it were up to most of its members, modern churches would have lightning rods on their steeples instead of crosses in memory of that time when lightning struck the early church. He’s speaking of the amazing events that happened on the Day of Pentecost. But then he adds, “The lightning rods would serve as protection against such events ever happening ...

3862. Son of Man; Son of God

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

There was a news story a couple years back in The Associated Press about a novel experiment by the University of Minnesota to foil Christmas tree thieves. It seems that the year before the university lost seven evergreens to poachers. So the university began spraying balsam fir, Scotch pine and anything that could pass for a holiday tree with skunk scent. Yes, I said skunk scent. For years, according to this report, Christmas tree thieves have been sawing down trees in the middle of the night. But in 2002 ...

3863. Born Again? When?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

A layperson was talking to a friend of mine recently, and told him of his teen-age daughter who had recently decided to become a Christian. The father was a life-long member of the church, and was naturally pleased by his daughter’s decision, but he was worried as well. He told his pastor that the daughter had decided to attend a Christian Youth Camp the following summer. Then he paused, and a worried look came across his face. He said, “Pastor, I want her to become a good Christian...but I don’t want her ...

3864. Food for the Fed-up

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

Some years ago I had a friend who was on a 300-calorie-a-day diet under a doctor’s supervision. 300 calories! That boggles the mind! I inhale 300 calories just smelling the aroma of a good pizza. But my friend on the three-hundred-calorie-a-day diet lost sixty pounds, and as a result reached his near-ideal weight in a very short time. But one cannot subsist indefinitely on a 300-calorie-a-day- diet. Sooner or later there must come and end to the dieting, for starving oneself in this manner is highly ...

3865. Building a House (Mother's Day)

Luke 6:46-49

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

As most of you know, I don't always preach a thematic sermon for special secular holidays such as the Fourth of July Sunday, Memorial Day, Mother's or Father's Day. It's also rare that I preach a sermon on a single theme, such as racism, war, abortion, pornography, poverty. But, hopefully, my sermons address all these pressing issues in the context of Scripture, as that scripture presents itself in the order of my preaching. For you who wonder about that approach to preaching and the fact that we don't ...

3866. Christ Signs The Letter Of The Church

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Donald English is one of the most outstanding Christian communicators I know today. He was in our church a couple of years ago, and many of you have heard him. He is providing dynamic leadership for the renewal of the church in Britain, and plays a dynamic role in the World Methodist Council. Donald tells a quaint English story that will speak to us this morning. "In Birmingham, England, there is a store called Lewis's. It's a great chain store in one of the main streets, and wanted to extend. Right in the ...

3867. Put To Death The Old; Put On The New

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Last week we talked about our lives as Christians being hidden in Christ with God. Today we pick up the theme again, for the larger theme is what it means to live the new life Christ gives us. Baptism is Paul's reference point for talking about life "hidden with Christ in God." A Christian's baptism is not unlike Jewish circumcision, Paul says. In baptism we are marked as Christians. This is a circumcision made without hands, the circumcision of Christ in which we are "buried with Him in baptism." He then ...

3868. Building A House

Luke 6:46-49

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

3869. Blessed Are Those Who Are Awake

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Mark Twain once said that he heard a preacher who was powerfully good. He decided to give him every cent he had with him. But the preacher kept at it too long. Ten minutes later, Twain decided to keep the bills and only give the change. Another ten minutes more Twain said, “I was darned if I’d give him anything at all. Then, when he finally stopped and the plate came around, I was so exhausted, I decided to steal $2 just for spite.” Now I know you sympathize with Mark Twain. I don’t hear as many preachers ...

3870. Food That Is Needful

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Listen to a letter I received from a friend of mine in Laurel, Mississippi, a few months ago. "A few years ago when Lessie and I moved back to Laurel I took on the job of trying to sell a farm that was left to Lessie and her two sisters and one brother. After a period of a year or so of being unsuccessful at the task, I decided to buy the other shares and keep the farm in the family for future years. The farm was overgrown because of many years of neglect. One of the beauty spots of the farm that I always ...

3871. My Prayer For You: Barefoot Days of the Soul

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Not long ago Harry and Penny Johnson came to see us. Many of you know them – they are charter members of this congregation. Harry is working on a profile of the three senior ministers that have preceded Bill Bouknight here at Christ Church. It is a part of a project for the library and the history of the church. He asked me to recall some of my early boyhood experiences. I shared one of my favorites: springtime and when my mother would give us permission to go barefooted. During those growing-up years, we ...

3872. The Paraclete Is Not a Bird

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The reason the title of this sermon is, "The Paraclete Is Not a Bird," is because I never met a pun I didn't use. But it needs explanation. A parakeet, you know. It's a cute, little bird. But the word "paraclete" is probably a word you are not familiar with. It is a rather esoteric word. It is a technical term found mostly in the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John. We read only a portion of that chapter this morning, but the word "paraclete" appears there several times. It is a Greek word. The New ...

3873. You Have Outwitted Me

Hosea 11:1-9

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The title of this sermon, "You Have Outwitted Me," comes from the writings of Brother Lawrence. I am indebted to John Imel, who discovered the quote, shared it at a staff devotion some years ago. Brother Lawrence entered a monastic order thinking that he was giving up the happiness of this world to become a monk. He discovered instead a deeper happiness in a monastic life than he had ever imagined. He said, "God, you have outwitted me." That's a wonderful phrase, and a testimony to what we call the ...

3874. A New Attitude

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

A hotel in Budapest was having problems with its elevator. Since most of the guests spoke at least some English, the owner put up a sign. However, either he had a sense of humor or he was not very adept at English. The sign read like this: “The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.” I’ve known some unbearable people, haven’t you? Lloyd John Ogilvie wrote a book some years ago titled, Falling into Greatness. In it he tells about an old friend who ...

3875. Easter Vigil

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Romans 6:1-14, Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Old Testament lessons for the Easter Vigil represent a wide sweep of texts that explore the mighty acts of God as both savior and creator. The central text for the Easter Vigil is the account of Israel's salvation at the Reed Sea in Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21. The actions of God in our world—from creation to the full realization of a distant future salvation—are all viewed in light of the reality of Israel's salvation at the sea. This event will also be our lens as we read through ...

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