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 401 to 425 of 1306 results

401. God Is a Mystery

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

... who had teamed up with the Romans to tax his own countrymen out of their hard-earned money and goods. Frederick Buechner calls him "a Jewish legman for the Roman I.R.S." Most of the people who witnessed this strange meeting of Zacchaeus and Jesus had had some contact with the tax collector. On occasion most of them had begged him for mercy and understanding, but he always had a deaf ear to them. His heart was made of steel, and his eyes were fixed on profits. He was not bad by nature hut by cunning skill ...

402. A Criminal, A Cross, and the Christ

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Thomas C. Short

... so fortunate, and the dealer asked many questions. Because word had been circulated about the stolen skins, this dealer was very cautious. He checked with Etaus’ father and found that Etaus was not working with him, and he became more suspicious. Legal authorities were contacted, and they questioned Etaus and insisted that he explain where he got the skins. Eventually, he was caught in a lie, and formal charges were brought against him. The same law that he had learned in his early days became the vice in ...

403. Parable of the Brain and Your Religion

John 14:1-4

Illustration

... doing what is right. If we treat our enemies with Christian understanding, our friends would be the most blessed of all. Jesus said, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Somehow, seeing people in church not only associates them with thoughts of kindness, but, also, we make contact with their personality when we are in the best frame of mind to give proper understanding.

404. A New Plan for Lent

Joel 1:1-12

Sermon

... paid back in wisdom and humility. Couldn't we find the same reward by volunteering at a soup kitchen for the poor or at the county welfare agency? If you want to grow spiritually, why don't you do volunteer work at a local hospital or at CONTACT, the crisis phone service; volunteers are always eagerly sought. Placed as a volunteer among the anguished and the dying, our concerns about boredom on the job and the lack of direction in life seem petty. All that counts, in such work, is how well you can love and ...

405. The Promise and the Task

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Dean Lueking

... find each other and say yes to each other. Our hands must be joined, because our hearts are united in Christ. This can happen in ways that are of deep significance. Several years ago, on a sabbatical pastoral journey that took me around the world in contact with fellow Christians, I experienced the power of Christ to hold people together when no other force will do it. We did not know each other beforehand. But with the arrangements in place that enabled us to know each other, it was remarkable how quickly ...

406. Our Best Example

Luke 2:41-52

Children's Sermon

... a nice smile. Well, that's fine. That's the way we like our volunteers: strong, wise and friendly. Oh, wait a minute. There is one other thing. We need to know that God likes us, too. One of our volunteers must be able to show that God is in contact with him. Maybe if one of our volunteers were to show us how he talks things over with God we would know that God talks to him. How do we talk to God? Prayer, that's right. [Select one child to take up prayer pose.] Well, that's it. The ...

407. Proper 6

Lk 7:36--8:3 · Gal 2:11-21 · 1 Ki 19:1-8

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... woman who crashed the dinner party was a "sinner," a woman of the streets, a prostitute. The Pharisee had doubt whether Jesus was a prophet when Jesus permitted the woman to anoint his feet. The basis for this attitude was that "good" people will have no contact with "bad" people, for it would approve of their wrongdoing. Apparently, the Pharisee did not consider himself a sinner. The truth is that both were sinners - the woman's sin of the flesh and the Pharisee's sin of the spirit. Which of the two was ...

408. Proper 8

Lk 9:51-62 · Gal 5:1, 13-25 · 1 Ki 19:15-21

Sermon Aid

... preachers, are called of God to serve him. But, they are not sure they are called of God, for they do not know what constitutes a call. Outline: In Elisha's call we can see what God's call involves. a. A plain person - a farmer plowing - v. 19 b. Contact with God's ambassador - Elijah put his mantle on Elisha - v. 19 c. Break with the past - "took the yoke of oxen and slew them" - v. 21 d. Service - "and ministered to him" - v. 21 2. Can One Be Totally Committed Today? (19:14-16). Need: Does the average ...

409. Proper 15

Lk 12:49-56 · Jer 20:7-13; 23:23-29; 38:4-10

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... of worldliness, by smothering the fire by the cares of this life, and by letting it burn out for lack of fuel. C. Use the fire for good. Fire is used to light other fires. Fire is contagious. If a Christian is on fire with God, those who come in contact are set on fire, too. Christians are spiritual arsonists who deliberately set others on fire with God even as Jesus says in the text, "I have come to set fire to the earth." (NEB) 2. Go in Peace or to Pieces? 12:51. Need: We usually think of Jesus in ...

410. The Epiphany of Our Lord

Mt 2:1-12 · Isa 60:1-6 · Eph 3:1-12

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... reflect the light: "The Lord will arise upon you." (v. 2) The sermonic value in this is that it, for one thing, makes us realize that we are nothing in ourselves and leads us to humility. But, if we are to let our light shine, we must get in contact with the light of Jesus through personal devotions and public worship. The closer we come to Christ, the more we will reflect the light to those around us. The key to witnessing for Christ and doing good works is in drawing nigh and staying close to Christ, the ...

411. A Call for a Change in Lifestyle

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

... for Sunday school and church. James has a birthday party, and there’s my mother, guest of honor, with a funny hat and a balloon, along with eight ten-year-olds. In time, it is discovered that there are some roots in the local Methodist congregation. Contacts are made, introductions, and the mother and her children are firmly established in that congregation. Meanwhile, my mother is back at the K-Mart, and at the drug store, and on her walks around her apartment, and stories similar to the one I’ve just ...

412. Death by Water

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

... was beside herself with fear and trepidation and, at this point, could not be comforted. But, as the time for her operation drew near, the people in the neighborhood rallied around her. There are sixteen homes on our little side street, and when my wife contacted each of the neighbors to have them sign a get-well card and to collect money for flowers, a community of concerned people emerged in a typical suburban setting where normally there is not much evident concern. A man who seems rather remote from his ...

413. Ask for a Sign

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

... an alliance. Isaiah stood up to his king: "Do not do it," he said. "Sure, it’s a critical time. But don’t make alliances with your enemies when things start to go badly. Stick to your old loyalties. Stick to your time-tested commitments. Maintain contact with those with whom you have a history of friendship and allegiance." Isaiah’s king backed down and did not make an alliance with his enemies. The two kings to the north didn’t like that. They gave notice. They would sweep down on Jerusalem. Isaiah ...

414. Exodus Crossings

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

James G. Cobb

... to speak about the numbing shock of the "pink slip." It came with no warnings, no apparent reasons; a feeling of betrayal and abandonment; a feeling of powerlessness and pity. Could we share that information with some people? The network of relationships and contacts expands. After some weeks, a new offer comes, and while it was not from anyone within the congregation, the person is grateful and thankful for what numerous members in the congregation said and did during that time. "I never knew what support ...

415. Soap Opera Silence

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

... "lost sheep of the house of Israel." Among other things he has told them to preach by saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Now he tells them not to be afraid. Three times he urges them not to fear those with whom they will come in contact. "Have no fear of them," he says. "Do not fear those who kill the body ... Fear not." The arena for the disciples' words is different from our own, but Jesus' encouragement is needed no less by us. By means of an extended reaction to clergy-characters on television ...

416. An Intimate Conversation and an Exclusive Covenant

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

... they had not experienced the hardships of the wilderness, as yet. They undoubtedly meant what they said, despite the fact that they had not heard God speak directly to them, but had used Moses as an intermediary. People seek first-hand religious experiences, direct contact with whatever deities they have faith in. This summer, my wife and I had the opportunity to entertain two people, a divorced mother and her fourteen-year-old son whom we got to know quite well a couple of years ago in Cambridge, England ...

417. The End is a New Beginning

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

... for us - more often than we do. Not long ago, I was on the campus of the Oblate Fathers School of Theology, in San Antonio, Texas. There I was struck by the fact that one cannot walk anywhere on that lovely campus without coming in contact with the Stations of the Cross. There are two sets of them, done in two different styles. They remind students, priests, professors, and other Christians to remember Jesus’ death, in view of his life, his resurrection and ascension, every day of their existence. It ...

418. Judgment and Justice

Amos 5:18-27

Sermon

... their needs; the church as a serving and holy community may be diminished. By concentrating on one’s own problems and predicaments that may be too difficult for us to handle by ourselves, the other side of the Christian faith - expression of the Gospel in our contacts with others - tends to get crowded out. Religion like that is a refuge, not a release, from sin and death into a new life that propels us into the world to worship God by serving others. Religion as a refuge, as Savonarola’s Lenten hymn ...

419. Up And Down The Mountain

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Donald Dotterer

... children. When a person has this direct encounter with God, he is overcome with a deep feeling of reverence, awe and fascination. The person also feels a great sense of energy all around. Those who work with the healing ministry of the church recognize that the contact point with God's healing power is the personal desire to tap into that omnipresent divine energy. O how we treasure those quiet moments alone with God! It is in prayer that we find strength and peace, as our spirits are filled with the spirit ...

420. Beginning A Healing Ministry

Sermon

... by F. Burton Nelson, "What Churches Can Do," Christianity Today, September 10, 1990, p. 36. 2. The United Methodist Church sponsors "Adventures in Healing and Wholeness," a program designed as an introduction to the healing ministry of the church. Contact Dr. James Wagner, Director, Prayer and Healing Ministries, The Upper Room, P.O. Box 189, Nashville, Tennessee 37202-0189. A Conference on Healing and Wholeness is held annually at the Port Vue United Methodist Church, 1565 Washington Boulevard, McKeesport ...

421. Living Life The Easy Way

Acts 3:1-10

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... , that there is an uneasiness about life. There is something wrong about us as we naturally stand. Second, that there is a solution to this uneasiness. The solution is that we are saved from that uneasiness, that wrongness, that difficulty, that hard road by making proper contact with a higher power.3 If life were not meant to be uneasy; to be fought against; to be difficult then the pivotal issue is this: what is that solution that enables us to live life the easy way? The Book of Acts contains the secret ...

422. The Collateral Damage of Our Attitudes

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Brett Blair

... interpretation. In this life, it is the rich whose names we know, not the poor. They are nameless. That will not be the case in the life to come. These two men were neighbors. They saw each other every day. Not socially you understand, but there was contact. According to the story, the rich man left his house almost every day. He went out the gate, which tells us he led a somewhat secluded, protected life. Outside that gate the rich man saw a beggar. The rich man would have felt very comfortable living in ...

423. The Primacy of Human Relationships

Matthew 5:33-37

Sermon

Joe Pennel

... Tennessee state high school tennis tournament by his dad. That put-a-foot down stand by a parent was so stunning that it drew national attention. The story appeared in USA Today and was related on radio by Paul Harvey. A woman from Des Moines, Iowa, contacted a Tennessee newspaper seeking to congratulate the boy's father. Hence, he was cast in the eyes of the nation as "Matt the Brat," symbol of the quintessential kiddie tennis menace. After Matt had cooled down, he had just one thing to say to his father ...

424. Baptism of Our Lord

Matthew 3:13-17, Acts 10:23b-48, Psalm 45:1-17, Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon Aid

... . Jesus is the man for all people; God intended his ministry to be a saving work for every creature who ever lived on earth. 3. Jesus restores goodness to the world by refusing to do evil, going about doing good, and blessing all with whom he comes into contact by his gracious words and compassionate deeds. 4. Jesus' good intentions and obedience cost him his life, but the Lord God raised him up so that the work he came to do might ultimately be finished. 5. Jesus is the Lord of all, and he, the resurrected ...

425. Epiphany 7

Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 5:38-42, 1 Corinthians 3:1-23, Leviticus 19:1-37

Sermon Aid

... in Shanghai, whose congregation was very much alive, told me that the churches don't need missionaries or money from the western churches, because they were able to carry on by themselves, building up the church in a time of persecution. He said that they need contact with other parts of the church to exchange theological and biblical insights, as well as to show the world the inclusive nature of the body of Christ, the church. 2. The church is holy because it belongs to God, not to the people who are ...

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