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 376 to 400 of 754 results

376. Handling the Harshness of Life

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Eric Ritz

She had every reason to be bitter. The circumstances of life had dealt a ton of harshness for her to handle. Though talented, she went unrecognized for years. Prestigious opera circles closed their ranks when she tried to enter. American critics ignored her compelling voice. She was repeatedly rejected for parts for which she easily qualified. It was only after she went to Europe and won the hearts of tough-to-please European audiences that stateside opinion leaders acknowledged her talent. Not only was ...

377. Mother's Day

Proverbs 1:1-7

Sermon

Eric Ritz

I think everyone knows today--that this Sunday is the day we celebrate and honor motherhood. It is the day we descend on Mom to show her our love. It is always inspiring as we leaf through the pages of history to see the great influence that mothers have had on their sons and daughters. Our own founder and spiritual mentor, John Wesley, was deeply influenced by the godly character of his mother, Suzanna. There is much debate and controversy today among Christian leaders and pastors over the Biblical role ...

378. Dying And Rising With Christ

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I have a friend who is a Benedictine monk. The way we live out our lives is vastly different, but I feel a real kinship, a oneness of spirit with Brother Sam. One of the most memorable evenings, one to which I return often in my mind, is the time he and I spent together alone in our home in Nashville, sharing our Christian pilgrimages. The vivid highlight of that evening still alive in my mind was his sharing with me the occasion of his solemn vows, the service when he made his life commitment to the ...

379. Put My Tears In Thy Bottle

Psalm 56:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There are a lot of images in the Psalms -- powerful, descriptive, suggestive images. Listen. "My God is a strong rock.""In the shadow of his rock I will rest.""In the shelter of his wings I will take refuge." The images abound. God is seen as a safe harbor -- a shepherd's arms -- our life is one in which we pass through the valley of the shadow of death -- and we walk by still waters and rest in green pastures. The images are on every page. But there's one image in our Psalm today that I'm sure will at ...

380. In the Cross of Christ We Glory

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Michael Milton

Patrick Morley has said that the turning point in our lives is when we stop seeking the God we want and start seeking the God who is. Peter would come face-to-face with the God who is. This would be a turning point in the life of the disciples. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But ...

381. 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 ...

382. Who Put It There? (Mother's Day)

1 Peter 5:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

I found this job description circulating on the Internet this past week. Anyone interested? [You may want/need to shorten this.] WANTED: Mom JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping ...

383. Getting a Grip on Fear

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

Black Bart was a professional thief whose very name struck fear as he terrorized the Wells Fargo stage line. From San Francisco to New York, his name became synonymous with the danger of the frontier. Between 1875 and 1883 he robbed 29 different stagecoach crews. Amazingly, Bart did it all without firing a shot. Because a hood hid his face, no victim ever saw his face. He never took a hostage and was never trailed by a sheriff. Instead, Black Bart used fear to paralyze his victims. His sinister presence ...

384. Gentle On My Mind (Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness)

Galatians 5:23

Sermon

James Merritt

I don't know of anyone that disputes the fact that John Wooden is the greatest basketball coach who has ever lived. His UCLA basketball teams won ten NCAA National Championships in twelve years, including seven in a row. In his book entitled Wooden, he begins with this story: My Dad, Joshua Wooden, was a strong man in one sense, but a gentle man. While he could lift heavy things men half his age couldn't lift, he would also read poetry to us each night after a day working in the fields raising corn, hay, ...

385. The Nativity Of Our Lord

Isaiah 9:1-7, Titus 2:1-15, Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 9:2-7 A child is born whose name is wonderful and whose government is characterized by permanence, justice and righteousness. The people of Isaiah's day were in darkness. Assyria had just taken Zebulon and Naphtali to captivity in 734 B.C. Out of this darkness the people see a light of God's promise of a messianic king, a son of God. This produces great rejoicing. His royal names define his character: wisdom, courage, fatherly concern and peace. His government will be ...

386. Easter 5

Psalm 22:1-31, John 15:1-8, Acts 8:26-40, 1 John 4:7-21

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 22:25-31 First Lesson—Philip baptizes the Ethiopian eunuch after his conversion. Acts 8:26-40 Second Lesson—John writes that love should have a human dimension as an extension of the love God has for us. 1 John 4:7-21 Gospel—Jesus describes our connection with him as branches on the vine. John 15:1-8 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Seek the Sovereign of all nations. People: We will praise God and be in ...

387. Lent 5

Psalm 126:1-6, Isaiah 43:14-28, John 12:1-11, Philippians 3:4b-14

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 126 First Lesson—The prophet cites past achievements of God on behalf of Israel as signs of hope for new things yet to come. Isaiah 43:16-21 Second Lesson—Paul as well as the prophet wants us to look ahead and reach ahead toward goals not yet reached. Philippians 3:4b-14 Gospel—The death of Jesus is imminent and his body is anointed with a costly perfume as a sign of love by Mary. John 12:1-8 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also ...

388. The Spin Zone

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

James Merritt

Question - What do King David, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton have in common? They all at one time entered "THE SPIN ZONE." What is "The Spin Zone"? The "Spin Zone" is when you enter into God's "No Sin Zone" out of a lust for power, sex, influence or money which causes you to sin which you then try to cover up. In the Garden of Eden God warned Adam and Eve about His "No Sin Zone" and they refused to listen, they entered into "The Spin Zone" and you know the rest of the story. Nixon had his Watergate, ...

389. What Is 40 Days Of Purpose?

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Sermon

James Merritt

We are about to begin a journey, a forty-day journey that I believe will change your life more than any other forty days that you have ever lived. In that forty days we are going to ask and answer the single most important and fundamental question anyone can ever ask in this life which is, "What On Earth Am I Here For? What Is My Purpose? Why Am I Alive?" The Bible says God never created anything without a purpose or a reason. Whether it is animal, vegetable, or mineral, everything that God created has a ...

390. Compliments Of The House

Psalm 23:6

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

An elderly man in Florida calls his son in New York one November day. The father says to the son, "I hate to tell you, but we've got troubles here at home. Your mother and I can't stand each other anymore, and we're getting a divorce. I've had it! I want to live out the rest of my years in peace. I'm telling you now, so you and your sister won't go into shock later when I move out." He hangs up, and the son immediately calls his sister in the Hamptons and tells her the news. The sister says, "I'll handle ...

391. Valley of Suffering (Series: Peace in the Valley)

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

At the tender age of 18, I was appointed to my first church. On Saturday following my first Sunday there, the main man in that congregation, a husband, a father, a grand-father, a leader in the community was killed in a tragic farming accident. Without a single course in theology or pastoral care, I was confronted with the question, “Why do people suffer?” My simple answer as a teenager was “I don’t know.” The number one question people would ask God if they could be assured of an answer is “Why do people ...

392. The Ministry of Unbinding

John 11:38-44

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Listen! We cannot raise people from the dead as Jesus did, but we share in the deliverance of those he has raised! Death and what is done about that — is in Jesus’ hand. It is He who can say with power: “Come forth! Come forth from your tomb.” But deliverance — that’s in our hands. “Unbind him” Jesus said, “unbind him that he might live.” So, we talk today about the ministry of unbinding. I Rehearse the story, so that our focus will be clear and we will not be questioning something that we think has been ...

393. There Is a Price for Everything, Part 2

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is an old adage which has God saying: “Take what you wish - take it and pay for it.” That puts us immediately into the heart of our theme today: There is a Price For Everything. There is truth in that saying that the best things in life are free but we have to be careful about that. It isn’t absolute truth. Certainly we can’t buy love, but isn’t there really a price tag on love? How can we appropriate the love of a husband or a wife without paying the price of attention and tenderness, caring and the ...

394. When You Have Everything You Need, Except What You Need (Managing Money)

Luke 12:22-34, Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In New England, there is the grave of an old Yankee skinflint. While he was alive, he offered his future heirs their legacy in advance if they would give him 12 ½% interest on it. When he died, they put this epitapth on his tombstone: Here lies old 12 percent The more he saved, the less he spent The less he spent, the more he saved Oh Lord, can Ichabod be saved? Now that’s a good question, and we could preach a sermon on that. You remember Jesus said on one occasion that it was as difficult for a rich man ...

395. When Being Christian Has Worn You Down (Compassion Fatigue)

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

To be honest is a mark of maturity. Dishonesty has within it its own destructive seeds. Most of us know the huge amount of energy deceit requires. And many of us have discovered the awful devastation of living a lie. Our sermon today addresses an issue about which we need to be honest. I’m talking about coping with compassion fatigue - “When being Christian has Worn You Down”. A mild little boy, not known for being ugly or mean, was being chastised and about to be punished for pulling a little girl’s hair ...

396. Soaring with Christ

Matthew 28:1-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

What an absolute joy to worship here, to be your pastor, to celebrate this Easter Sunday. Thank you for giving me the privilege to do that. What does Easter mean to you? I posed that with a preschooler yesterday and he said, “The Easter bunny is coming to bring me some candy." I asked a teenager, “What does Easter mean to you?" With a twinkle in her eye she said, “Fun in the sun. I'm on my way to spring break." If you happen to be employed with the church, Easter week is the busiest week of the entire ...

397. The Fellowship of Kindred Minds

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A cartoon, in a Saturday Evening Review, features a young boy sitting under a tree taking inventory of his relationships. “So far, I have 14 people who love me, 22 people who like me, six people who tolerate me, and I have only three enemies. I’d say that’s not bad for a little kid.” When it comes to relationships, how are you doing? We are made for community; we will never be satisfied to be self-reliant. We need one another. The friendships in the fellowship of the first century Church were so focused ...

398. Furnishing It with Love

1 John 4:7-18

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

There’s a popular song which says: I’d like to build the world a home and furnish it with love, Grow apple trees and honey bees, and snow white turtle doves. I’d like to see the world for once all standing hand in hand, And hear them echo through the hills for peace throughout the land. Well, why not? Why not a life furnished with love? Over the last 30 days, nearly a thousand of you have been trying to build a life that really matters. You are earnestly seeking to put God first, to love others well, to ...

399. What Power Has He?

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

On the 21st day of December in the year of our Lord 2003, when George Bush was President of the United States and Phil Bredeson was Governor of Tennessee and Ann Dunn was Mayor of Brentwood, the people of Brentwood United Methodist Church gathered to worship Jesus Christ, the newborn King. Somebody is surely thinking so what, why all the details? A similar question might be asked of Dr. Luke as he opens the narrative of Jesus Birth. “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be ...

400. Crying Out of the Depths

Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In a Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown is sitting at Lucy's psychiatric desk getting absolutely no help from Lucy. With a forlorn look on his face Charlie laments, “Where do I go to give up?" One great value of the Psalms is that they put into words what we find difficult to express. Most scriptures speak to us. The Psalms speak for us. They enable us to articulate and bring before God our deepest feelings, our greatest fears, the lingering longings of our hearts, the troubled sorrows of our lives. So Jesus ...

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