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 655 results

401. It’s Not about You; It’s All about God

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... and me. That's a valuable lesson for living. The problem is that we don't quite believe it, or don't practice it. Too often in my life it's about me, and God comes in somewhere around second place or lower. How about you? Are you not inclined to look to yourself, your friends, or some human endeavor like science, politics, or education for answers to life's tough questions? There is nothing wrong with looking to these resources for help in life, if they are understood as gifts of God, as tools used by God ...

402. In Whose Likeness?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Chris Ewing

... Jesus breaks in on their reflections: "Whose portrait is on the coin? And whose title?" (Matthew 22:20 cf). The emperor's. Call him a divinity, call him a demon, this coin belongs to the emperor. For better or for worse, we're under Rome. Just as we may be inclined to say that, like it or not, we live in a consumer society. We have to abide by its values. And Jesus says, yes, the coin belongs to Caesar. Let him have it. Give to God what belongs to God. Now that may sound like a concession to the realities ...

403. A Man of the Moment

Genesis 25:19-34

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... have been easy, but he did it. Jacob was the brother through whom the people of Israel descended, and in part, he was able to fit into God's plan because he was willing to take the long view. • It is good to remember that about Jacob when we are inclined to be impulsive with our spending or to take our present good health for granted. Recall the proverbial old person in poor health who said, "If I had known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself." • It's good to remember ...

404. With Our Own Eyes

2 Peter 1:16-21

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... these sermons, but not the basis. So what? The "so what" is that scripture, particularly if systematically studied, takes us places that we would rather not go. It challenges us with the ancient witness to a God whose ways have always been different from humankind's inclinations. Peter could have been speaking for the whole canon of scripture when he wrote, "So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place ..." (2 Peter 1:19 ...

405. Getting Off the Merry-Go-Round

Romans 8:1-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... stuck with our flesh. Paul continually laments the afflictions of the sinful flesh. But what is this "flesh"? It is not merely the bones, sinew, and blood of our bodies. It is not merely the lust or gluttony or greed or other such fleshly inclinations that we more often than not associate with illicit sex. No, Paul is talking about something far more comprehensive here. Paul is talking about the totality of our existence. Paul is talking about that willful desire inside of us that does not fear and trust ...

406. Earth, Wind and Fire

Acts 2:1-21; John 15:26-27, 16:1-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... is no way that we can reach out to the whole world. Or that we can influence even one other person. On our own, that's true. On our own, we have no power to carry out this Mission. On our own, we don't even have the WILL or inclination to carry out this Mission. On our own, we can't do anything. But the Good News is that we're NOT on our own. Pentecost proved that. Pentecost moved us from being on our own. Pentecost filled us with the very power of God to carry out God's ...

407. When Did This Start? — Part 2

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... if it is not possible that right up alongside knowing who we are, it is equally important to know who we aren't. Because we are not far more things than we are. Because of the number of rainy days there, pastors in Oregon are more inclined than those in other areas of the country to hear lighthearted questions from worshipers such as, "Can't you do something about this weather?" I have to admit my complicity in this little farcical game about a preacher's potential for influencing the weather — as one ...

408. When the Impossible Becomes Imminently Possible!

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the disciples would have sent the people away hungry. Jesus, however, lived his life by another principle: "Anyone who comes to me," he says, "I will never drive away" (John 6:37 NRSV). Still, just like the disciples, we often have that inclination to say, "Send them away. They're too much trouble." Or, "Send them away. They're not like us." Is this not sometimes our first response to a situation that we cannot deal with easily? Is that not sometimes how we think when we encounter ...

409. Love That Surpasses Knowledge

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... the love that surpasses knowledge. This is not the love that Paul prays we might have the power to grasp. It is a love that flows freely, without consideration of reward or plan for recompense. This is a love that is not inherent to human nature. We are more inclined to return love for love and enmity for enmity. Scripture says, "... how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you ...

410. The Place beyond Revenge

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... professional church leadership, where since 9/11, he has been guided by two texts. One is Jose Ortega y Gasset: "Decisive historical changes do not come from great wars, terribly cataclysms, or ingenious inventions: it is enough that the heart of man incline its sensitive crown to one side or the other of the horizon, toward optimism or toward pessimism, toward heroism or toward utility, toward combat or toward peace." Ministry is less about dealing with world affairs than with the sensitive crown of the ...

411. Symptoms of Groupthink

Illustration

Irving L. Janis

... danger and be willing to take extraordinary risks. The participants in groupthink ignore warnings and construct rationalizations in order to discount them. Participants of groupthink have an unquestioned belief in the inherent morality of their in group actions, inclining the members to ignore the ethical or moral consequences of their decisions. Participants of groupthink hold stereotyped views of the leaders of enemy groups. They are seen as so evil that there is no warrant for arbitration or negotiation ...

412. Reaching Many Through One

Illustration

... listened, his eyes moistening and his thin hand trembling. "I feel it all," he replied, "but God knows I've tried to do my duty." On that day the minister's heart was heavy as he stood before his flock. As he finished the message, he felt a strong inclination to resign. After everyone else had left, that one boy came to him and asked, "Do you think if I worked hard for an education, I could become a preacher perhaps a missionary?" Again tears welled up in the minister's eyes. "Ah, this heals the ache I feel ...

413. Better Than Revenge

Proverbs 15:1

Illustration

When we are wronged in some way, our natural inclination is to fight back, to get even. Needless to say, this reaction, though thoroughly human, is almost always in error. "Forgiveness," said Epictetus, "is better than revenge, for forgiveness is the sign of a gentle nature, but revenge is the sign of a savage nature." A dramatic example is the ...

414. God's Living House

Illustration

C.S. Lewis

I think that many of us, when Christ has enabled us to overcome one or two sins that were an obvious nuisance, are inclined to feel (though we do not put it into words) that we are now good enough. He has done all we wanted him to do, and we should be obliged if he would leave us alone. But the question is not what we intended ourselves to be, but what he ...

415. Life In a New Gear

Illustration

Staff

... differential starts slipping, and the u-joints get worn, causing the drive shaft to go bad. The transmission won't go into high gear and sometimes has difficulty getting out of low. The cylinders get worn and lose compression, making it hard to climb the slightest incline. When it is climbing, the tappets clatter and ping to the point where one wonders if the old bus will make it to the top. The carburetor gets fouled with pollutants and other matter, making it hard to get started in the morning. It is hard ...

416. A Balanced Approach

Illustration

Staff

Teenagers are much more inclined to take warnings about steroids seriously if the drugs' muscle-building benefits are acknowledged in the same speech, say doctors at Oregon Health Sciences University. That was the case when the doctors lectured nine high school football teams on the effects of steroids. They found that football players who heard ...

417. Strength to Weakness

Illustration

Dore Schary

... frank and candid can find himself becoming tactless and cruel. A person who prides himself on being tactful can find eventually that he has become evasive and deceitful. A person with firm convictions can become pigheaded. A person who is inclined to be temperate and judicious can sometimes turn into someone with weak convictions and banked fires of resolution . . . Loyalty can lead to fanaticism. Caution can become timidity. Freedom can become license. Confidence can become arrogance. Humility can become ...

418. Make Haste Slowly

Illustration

Joe Aldrich

... pitch is discounted at least 50 percent. However, if a friend comes over and shares a glowing personal testimony concerning the value of the agent's product, the reaction is apt to be markedly different. A satisfied customer makes the most effective salesperson. Second, people are more inclined to do business with acquaintances than strangers. Third, it takes time and effort to build a healthy decision-making climate. Fourth, there is no substitute for time. Often it is necessary to "make haste slowly."

419. Love Your Enemy? Are You Kidding, Lord?

Luke 6:27-38

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... not the kind that will just allow anything to go on, but will seek the highest and best for them. You must admit, that is a tall order. How are we to go about it? Jesus gives a hint: pray for them. To be sure, that is not our natural inclination. If there is someone we really dislike, someone we really hate, we surely are not going to pray for them. As a matter of fact, if their name ever comes up in our prayers, it is generally in terms of some kind of violent death, or at least painful injury ...

420. Getting Directions

Acts 16:9-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... outside work at the beginning of studies because the burden would be overwhelming. They were especially adamant in suggesting that incoming students not attempt to serve a church during this arduous period. As much as I would have enjoyed the challenge, my inclination was, "Thanks, but no thanks." To make a long story short, we went anyway, and we were exceedingly glad that we did. The years that we spent there were marvelous and God tremendously blessed: a 25% increase in membership; worship participation ...

421. The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... been on him that he had been rescued by a Samaritan? One would presume that it would forever color his view of Samaritans. For that matter, one would presume that it would forever color his view of the world's victims. There would be less callousness, and less inclination to lay blame for getting into such a fix in the first place, less temptation to "pass by on the other side." If Jesus' story had gone on any longer, I would bet that this poor fellow, from that day forward, became a better neighbor to the ...

422. Trouble In the Parsonage

Hosea 1:2-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , Gomer was pregnant again. Hosea was not as happy about it as he might have been. He had heard the rumors, the preacher's wife "steppin' out." He probably would have discounted them as malicious gossip had they not come from so many sources - sources that were not inclined to gossip, sources that Hosea knew had his best interests at heart. The baby turned out to be a little girl and she was named Lo-ruhamah (which in Hebrew means "not loved"). It was not the child Hosea did not love - he did not love the ...

423. Repressive Religion

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... opens with Jesus teaching in a synagogue where services were normally informal: primarily prayers, reading of scripture, comments, and offerings for the poor. Any man in attendance could read from scripture and then teach or preach if he were so inclined, and on this day apparently, Jesus was. He noticed a woman, identified in scripture as only "crippled" and "bent over" — some disease that deteriorated the spine, maybe osteoporosis or scoliosis — a condition she had suffered for eighteen years. Jesus ...

424. Proper 18

Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18, Jeremiah 18:1-11, Luke 14:25-35, Philemon 1-21

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... are hard and our prejudices stubborn. Thank you for staying with us wherever we go! In light and in darkness, we feel your watchfulness. During this hour, we diligently listen for your voice and intently pay attention to our inward responses. Amen. Call To Confession Our human inclination is to do what we want when we want for the purpose we want. Then we tend to hide from the truth if it is not to our liking. The psalmist indicates that we cannot hide from Holy Mystery. For the next few moments, we invite ...

425. Proper 22

Lamentations 1:1-6, Lamentations 3:19-26, Luke 17:1-10, 2 Timothy 1:1-14

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... . Like Habakkuk, we sit in our pews and world leaders in their towers keep watching what will happen. We keep hoping the people who work for fairness and tolerance will win. One direction the sermon might take is to acknowledge the inclination of humans to minimize others and aggrandize themselves. Then explore Paul’s tactics with Timothy — that of affirmation, encouragement, and gratitude. This could be compared with Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount and his commandment to love God, self ...

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