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 4201 to 4225 of 5000 results

4201. IN THE IMAGE OF GOD

Drama

Angela Akers

SUBJECT: Jesus CHARACTERS: Pastor, Jackie, Dottie, Walter, Maynard, Debbie SETTING: Church sanctuary PROPS: A large picture positioned so that the actors can gaze at it, but the congregation can’t see it Pastor: "Well, here''s the picture of Jesus we ordered for the sanctuary. What do you think?" Parishioners: "It''s beautiful." "Very pretty colors." "It''ll go well with the drapes." Pastor: "We can present this to the congregation next Sunday. I think everyone will be pleased. What do you ...

4202. On the Singing of Hymns

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Mark 14:26) This little verse in Mark’s Gospel which occurs at the end of the Last Supper account, has always intrigued me. It may well be one of the greatest pictures of quiet courage and confidence in all of literature. For Jesus and His students were singing in the very shadow of the cross! I. THEY WERE NOT THE FIRST NOR THE LAST TO DO SO. Scholars suggest that the hymn they may have sung was the famous hallel Psalm 118, which was ...

4203. Grace in the Midst of Exasperation

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

Spiritual storytelling (a.k.a. "my testimony") is often an inspiring experience for a gathered group of Christians. It is also inherently risky. The risk is that the story will sound wonderful. Whenever the overwhelming number of details of someone's garden-variety life are squeezed down to a significant few, it can seem that that four-minute abridged version of existence is fabulously more exciting or meaningful than anything the rest of us have experienced in the previous forty years. We may say to each ...

4204. The Rejected Cornerstone

Luke 20:9-19

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Someone has said that the average man's idea of a good sermon is one that goes over his head and hits a neighbor. I don't believe Jesus' parable at which we look today was a good sermon in that sense. It didn't go over his listener's heads. Though the story may seem a bit strange to us, the people knew precisely what Jesus was talking about. It may hold a lot of questions for us, but not for these chief priests, scribes, and elders of Israel. Jesus took a well-known Old Testament metaphor -- that of the ...

4205. More Tolerable For Sodom And Gomorrah

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Cracow, the ancient capitol of Poland, remains a medieval city for it somehow escaped the devastation that leveled so many other European cities during the war. Cracow was once a flourishing member of the Hanseatic League, an association of independent merchant towns that exerted so much power and influence in the Middle Ages. The hugh sprawl of covered market still stands in the central square, dominated by a tower from which each night a trumpet tune sounds (the interesting thing is that in the midst of ...

4206. Getting Our Lives Out Of Hock

Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Many of you know my struggle between like-dislike, appreciation-confusion, with Gary Larson's "Far Side" cartoons. I vacillate between like-dislike, appreciation-confusion. I keep on reading them, and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's because he gives me something now and then to flavor a sermon. Such is the case with this one. It depicts a bug resting on a leaf which gently sways over a lovely pond. The bug is on his back in the crook of the leaf, his ankles are crossed, and two of his six arms are ...

4207. The Danger Of Straying From Home (Father's Day)

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Dr. Nels Ferre was one of the imminent theologians a generation ago -- a professor at Vanderbilt. As an old man, he stood before his students and talked about his coming to America. He was one of eight children living in Sweden. With the war coming ever closer, his mother chose him to leave the country. She took the family down to the great cathedral in the middle of the city and, having the children stand in a circle, encouraged them to pray together for each other, but especially for Nels. He still ...

4208. The Prize of the High Calling of God

Hebrews 11:1-40, Philippians 2:12-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I am intrigued by bumper stickers. Someone was smart. Since modern Americans spend so much of their time in cars, why not turn the bumper into a kind of chrome or, alas with modern cars, plastic bulletin boards. Thousands would get the messages as they come near the car in front of them. It was a brilliant idea. Religious folks have not missed this communication opportunity. So you have the traditional bumper sticker message: “Honk if you love Jesus”. And the more avant-garde, “In case of the rapture, this ...

4209. What God Requires of Us

Micah 6:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In Garrison Keillor's Lake Woebegone the little town proudly proclaims that it's the place, "where the women are strong, the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." Admit it. You too have the Lake Woebegone Syndrome. The truth is this Lake Woebegone Syndrome probably describes how most of us feel about ourselves. "The Average American thinks he isn't" is how the saying goes. And it's true. The majority of men think they're handsome. The majority of women think they're beautiful. ...

4210. The Problem with Busybodies

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

One of the earliest newspapers in Paris, France, was created in the 1750s by a woman named Madame Doublet. Madame Doublet had an interesting and effective technique for gathering news: each morning, she sent one of her servants to gather all the gossip from other servants who worked in wealthy households. According to Smithsonian magazine, Madame Doublet’s servant may have been “the first reporter in the history of French journalism.” After making the rounds of all the fashionable neighborhoods, the ...

4211. Trash Cans or Treasure Chests

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Grace and peace, sisters and brothers, and the One who is, from the One who was, and from the One who is to come. Good evening, saints. Good evening, sinners. We are all here. And all that we are is here. I am delighted to be here. Have you had a good summer? How many of you had guests this summer? Quite a few of you. Do you know what the three most beautiful lights are in the world? Sunlight, moonlight, and taillights. I am about "guested" out. I have had a great summer. I have been writing at home. I ...

4212. The Thrill of Victory Beats the Agony of Defeat

Judges 7:1-17

Sermon

James Merritt

The United States is known around the world as a "Christian nation." There are several reasons why one might think that is true. In America there are: 1,485 Christian radio stations 300 Christian television programs 96% of all Americans are "believers in God" 70 million born-again believers 148 million professing Christians 62% of all Americans say they have "made a commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today." Now if America is indeed a Christian nation, you would think that God ...

4213. Good Christian Men Rejoice

2 Corinthians 8:9

Sermon

James Merritt

Seven centuries ago a Christmas carol, often sung today, was written in Latin, with a Latin title that meant "With Sweet Shouting." The great composer, Johann Sabastian Bach, liked it so much he arranged it for the organ, and John Mason Neale later standardized the hymn in English. In English the title was changed to "Good Christian Men Rejoice." The first stanza tells us what every Christian understands about the season called Christmas. Good Christian men, rejoice, With heart and soul and voice; Give ye ...

4214. No Substitute

John 2:13-22

Sermon

David T. Ball

Jesus in the temple — oh, didn’t he show those money-changers who were desecrating the temple grounds with their money-grubbing business? Not to mention the mess that all the livestock were making! Out! Out! Out! He cleared them all out, those traders in things that didn’t belong in God’s house. And he had every right to do it, we tend to think. Serves them right, despoiling sacred space with their commerce — profiting off of the desire of the faithful to do something pleasing to God. Exploitation. Good ...

4215. The Darkness of a Youniverse

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Of all the bad ideas that have come out of highly centralized government, one of the worst “bad ideas” has got to be Daylight Savings Time. Benjamin Franklin originally came up with this idea of a “Daylight Savings Time” in the first part of March. It may have been the dumbest idea of his brilliant mind. But it was Woodrow Wilson who implemented Franklin’s suggestion in 1918. After just barely beginning to be able to see to eat breakfast, for the past three weeks we have been plunged back into rising in ...

4216. “Bad Form” and Bad Jesus

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Jesus is ALWAYS Third Class . . . The rankings of first, second and third class date from the days of the stage coach. You couldn’t tell the difference between the three inside the stage coach. Every person was seated without distinction. But when the stage came to the hill, the distinctions emerged. The second-class passengers had to get out and walk. The first class passengers remained in the coach. The third-class passengers had to get out and push. Jesus is ALWAYS third class . . . and when people who ...

4217. Bad Form and Bad Jesus

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4218. Living By The Spirit

Galatians 5:16-25

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

When I was a boy, back in the Stone Age when we rode dinosaurs to school, one of the things my brothers and I looked forward to was when my Mom bought fruit cocktail. That might seem odd for some of our young people because today, in our global economy, we can walk into the store and buy almost any fruit or vegetable any time we want. But back then, we were dependent upon fruit and vegetables being in season. Besides, fresh fruit (other than apples) was seen as a luxury of sorts. That why having fruit ...

4219. Same Table, Different Chairs

John 15:11-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I don't remember where I found this quote but Bishop Fulton J. Sheen once asked a missionary from one of the islands in the Pacific which was the greatest virtue of the people whom he helped there. The Missionary answered, "I can tell you their greatest virtue in terms of what they regard as their greatest vice, namely 'Kai-Po,' which is the sin of eating alone." According to the missionary, some of the people would go without food for two or three days until they could find someone with whom they could ...

4220. Spiderman: Saved To Serve

Colossians 3:1-4, 12-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Who do you serve? That's a valid question for everybody, don't you think? Now you probably wouldn't think you would have to ask that question in Church, would you? But the truth is we don't all come with pristine purposes. I'm not trying to make anyone feel guilty but we may not even know that we are at cross purposes with God. That was certainly the case in the life of the Apostle Paul. And that's what the Superhero we're focusing on today had to find out as well. Paul and Spiderman both had to find out ...

4221. Being A View Master

Romans 2:9-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There's an old Peanuts comic, Charlie Brown is busy with a woodworking project one day when Lucy comes by and asks: "How's the birdhouse coming along, Charlie Brown?" He replies, "Well, I'm a lousy carpenter. I can't nail straight. I can't saw straight and I always split the wood. I'm nervous, I lack confidence, I'm stupid, I have poor taste and absolutely no sense of design." And then in the last frame he concludes, "So, all things considered, it's coming along OKAY!" (1) Nobody would ever claim that ...

4222. The Challenge Of Generosity

Malachi 3:10, Luke 6:36-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I want to read a little book to you by one of my favorite children's authors, Judith Viorst. I have enjoyed her stories and the adventures of Alexander and his brothers. This is another one of those and it's entitled: Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday. (Read the Book out loud) Alexander needs to change doesn't he? He needs a better understanding and stewardship of money. A lot of us are like Alexander. We know the old saying "Money talks" is true because ours keeps saying "Good-bye." So what is it ...

4223. God's Whatever

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

"Whatever!" It's a mantra of today's world. Behind that one word, that neck thing they do, the rolling of the eyes and the tone of voice what's really being said by many people is: "Do what you want, it’s not like you're going to listen to me anyway, or if you do, what are the chances you'll understand what I'm saying? Whatever!" There's a lack of hope and a I could care less attitude. I don't know where it comes from. I'm not sure the professionals even know. But we're living in a "Whatever" society. And ...

4224. A Double Portion

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

At a recent church luncheon buffet line, next to the apples was a sign that read: "Apples: please only take one per person. Remember, God is watching." A little further down the line next to the cookies, someone had scrawled with a crayon: "Cookies: take all you want. God is watching the apples." (1) Or how about the guy who stopped at the bakery right at closing time and ordered a batch of sugar cookies. The young clerk politely said she couldn't sell them because they were frozen. "Frozen?" "Yes," she ...

4225. What'll You Have?

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A woman went into a restaurant and ordered the breakfast special, "I want my pancakes well done," she said. "You need to cook them all the way through and golden brown on both sides. Use the light syrup because the regular syrup is too sweet. Make the bacon crisp and thin, not oily or soggy and put it on a separate plate. The eggs must be over-easy, not broken or runny." "And would you like butter or margarine?" asked the waitress. The woman answered, "Oh, it doesn't matter; I'm not that picky." (1) A ...

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