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 4251 to 4275 of 4943 results

4251. The Bible: The Book No Other Can Match!

2 Timothy 3:16

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... New York City. He shared a story orally that can be found in his book. (See Endnotes) Tom was in a terrible automobile accident which found him in a body cast for six months and unable to walk without a cane for over a year. The doctors were concerned whether he would be able to walk normally again. During this time the scripture lesson from Mark 2:1-12 is what connected him to the healing powers of God and prevented him from being crippled. "I began telling it to myself during the physical therapy in the ...

4252. The Longest Table in the World

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... division in the Christian community. In John 17:21 Jesus prays that "they all may be one." The guards of racism, sexism, classism, nationalism, tell us that God is too busy to hear our request. However, I have it on good authority that God''s greatest concern is that there only be "One Table" for his family. This is our greatest need. It seems that even a group of secular sociologists at a national convention realize this dilemma. The question before the house today--Does the Church realize it? If I read ...

4253. Feasting and Fasting for Lent (Part II)

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... us to do the following three things: 1. FAST a known sin and FEAST on obedience to God''s word and will in that area in our life. 2. FAST from words that pollute--Feast on words that purify. I urged us to be Balcony People. 3. FAST from self-concern--FEAST on compassion.\ Someone once asked the famous Willie Mays the secret of his success as a baseball player. He replied: "When they throw it, I hit it. When they hit it, I catch it." I urged you on Ash Wednesday during this Lenten season to build the house ...

4254. Feasting and Fasting for Lent (Part III)

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... . Is it fair to do this to the children you have? Is it fair to bring this suffering into your own family?" At the mention of "suffering" I saw her face lighten, as if the doctor were finally making sense. "Suffering?" she said quietly. "You see, we appreciate your concern, but we''re Christians. We have accepted the Lord, you see. He suffered for us. So we will try to suffer for the baby if we must." "Not many kids today get a chance to be a part of this kind of thing," the father added. "Our kids will ...

4255. Feasting and Fasting for Lent (Part IV)

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... lives of people precious to God. When the much beloved Hubert Humphrey was dying of cancer, he shared these words of how he believed God would judge the nations of the world. He believed they would be judged by how they responded to the following three concerns: "How they helped those in the dawn of life--children" "Those in the margins of life--the poor" "Those in the twilight of life--the elderly" How we treat the three most vulnerable segments of our society is not a Republican or Democratic party issue ...

4256. Feasting and Fasting for Lent (Part V)

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... could worship the Lord God. This was done to give the people an anchor. It was done to provide a "centering" focus for the people. Dr. Eugene H. Patterson, pastor of Christ Our King Church in Bel Air, Maryland, shares an important insight concerning the power of worship: "Failure to worship consigns us to a life of spasms and jerks, at the mercy of every advertisement, every seduction, every siren. Without worship we live manipulated and manipulating lives. We move in either frightened panic or deluded ...

4257. What a Difference a Day Makes

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Eric Ritz

One of the moving and insightful stories that came out of the Nazi concentration camps in Europe concerned a musician by the name of Gustaf Moeller and his niece. When the young Jewish girl arrived at the camp it was decided she was too valuable to be killed like the others. Instead, she was ordered to gather together an orchestra to play for the Nazi officers and top ...

4258. The Measure of Love

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... not that we sought him. I shall never forget an incident that happened in Chester, Pa., about nine years ago. Our son, John, had ridden his tricycle from East 18th St. around the corner to Providence Avenue, which is really Route 320 in Delaware County. Being a concerned father, when John did not come back around the corner, I went looking for him. John had somehow gotten turned around and was unsure of his surroundings. When I turned the corner, there was John getting ready to let out a big cry. As I came ...

4259. Thanksgiving - The Biblical Version

1 Chronicles 16:7-43

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... Gallup Poll that showed that very few Americans thought about "thanksgiving" as an inner attitude that could change a person''s life. Thanksgiving is in fact a key ingredient of emotional health and peace. A number of books have come out in recent years concerning the connection between grateful living and good health. People think they have something new. The Bible knew of this connection 3,000 years ago. IN ADDITION, GIVING IS IN THE HEART OF GRATITUDE. Toward the end of his Psalm, David urges the people ...

4260. When "Well Done" Is Rare

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... the thread that connects the three thoughts in your class motto and the main theme from the gospel lesson is the role of human responsibility for making decisions in life. The gospel lesson is about the judgement that will be made on each of us concerning the gifts and resources that God has entrusted to our care. I believe this parable suggests an insight about the nature of judgement. That is, the inequality of gifts. To one servant, the master gave five talents, to another two, to another one. Unlike the ...

4261. Just Speak the Name

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... Jesus did. Henri Nouwen tells the story of three Priests who would go annually on a spiritual pilgrimage to visit the great saint of the desert, St. Anthony. Two of the priests would use this time to discuss with St. Anthony the struggles, the concerns, the salvation of their soul with him. The third priest always remained silent and asked nothing of the spiritual leader. St. Anthony asked the priest why he never asked questions like his other priest-brothers. The third priest responded, "It is enough just ...

4262. Staying Focused--Traveling Light

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... a winning athlete returned to Rome. He was accorded more prestige and honor than a victorious general returning from war. Well, right in the middle of this sports-minded culture, Paul used the athletic imagery to CHALLENGE and COMFORT the Christian community he was concerned about. We find the words in Hebrews 12 pulsating with great power as they state, "Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us run with perseverance, the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and ...

4263. The Wideness in God's Mercy

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... . He sent the leper to fulfill Moses' commands. I realize it is a very short passage. But I found myself feeling puzzled about the widely varying feelings and reactions Mark described. I found myself asking if this was a story about God's compassionate concern or a message about so-called "tough love." A favorite hymn for many has been "There's A Wideness In God's Mercy." One of my seminary professors insisted vehemently that we should stop singing the hymn because it contained "bad theology," referring to ...

4264. Heaven's Applause

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... like this: "The strength of a man consists in finding out which way God is going, and going that way too."2 We could alter that just slightly and say the word piety is "finding out which way God is going, and going that way too." What concerns Jesus, by contrast, is a piety that is misused and therefore becomes misshapen. People occasionally use a tool for a purpose other than its stated one. For example, if one uses a screwdriver as a crowbar, it is highly likely that the screwdriver will become bent. When ...

4265. Holy Vexation

John 2:12-25

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... these coins carried a human image (the emperor's head) and foreign currency had to be changed into legal currency; hence the need for the money changers. Were there abuses in this system? Of course there were. But Jesus, as painted by John, is concerned about the entire system. As has always been the case, religious institutions can tragically lose focus, major on minors, and become stumbling blocks to the very ends for which they were created in the first place. Certainly this can happen to the clergy who ...

4266. Extravagant Guestures in a Cost-Effective World

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... his money. The good, the moral, the correct thing to do with the alabaster box is to cash it in and use the proceeds for social work among the poor.”1 Read went on to say, though, that both the scriptures and the arts are concerned with the ultimate mystery of life and should, as he put it, "join hands in the service of the soul." It is not happenstance that church buildings, mosques, and synagogues are often repositories for beautiful art. Certainly every sanctuary has its share of that which reflects ...

4267. Follow That Star

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... . The three wise men came with pure hearts. Their purpose was worship and praise. They came not to find gold, but to find God. Their purpose was to offer up gifts to their Savior and Redeemer. One of the oldest Christian legends is the charming story concerning the Well of the Magi near Bethlehem. The people of Bethlehem made a practice of going to this well during Christmas week. There they would bend over the opening of the well and cover themselves and the opening with blankets or cloaks, to shut out the ...

4268. God Help the Fish

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... fish.” A man named Ray says that at one point in his life he considered joining the Baptist Church. For those who don’t know, the Baptists practice total body immersion to baptize a person. Ray notes that he is a big man, so he was concerned about finding a baptistry in a church that could handle an oversized load. Luckily he knew a Baptist minister, having dated his daughter in college. Ray dropped by to see this pastor and asked him if he would consider performing the service. The good pastor paused ...

4269. A Higher Calling

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... side of God, but we want to do it from a distance. We will stay in our boats and give lip service and leave it to someone else to leave their nets and follow Jesus. There was an amusing item in the press not too long back. It concerned the funeral of James Smith, a lifelong fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team. When mourners arrived at the funeral home, they found the recently deceased Mr. Smith, 55, propped up in his favorite armchair in black-and- gold pajamas, a beer and a pack of cigarettes at ...

4270. What Gets Into People?

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... willing it to happen? Maybe, but not likely. Even praying about it may not make much difference. At such times you need to see a physician. Make sure that there is not a physical cause when something troubling gets into you. In the second place, share your concern with someone you trust. When we are going through a particularly painful time in our lives, we may not be the best person to analyze our problem. We need someone to look from the outside. It might be a trusted friend, a counselor or your pastor. I ...

4271. With a Little Help from My Friends

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... of 2000, decided to give up his fight with depression by jumping off San Francisco’s Golden GateBridge. As he paced and cried along the bridge sidewalk, Kevin looked for someone who would talk him out of his crazy decision. If even one person expressed concern for him, then Kevin was prepared to back down. But not one passerby gave Kevin a second glance, with one exception--a tourist asked him to take her picture. Not one person, including the tourist, cared enough to try to intervene to keep him from ...

4272. Bearing the Cross

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... and I know such problems have nothing--absolutely zero--to do with Jesus’ words. When you bear Jesus’ cross, you are saying something entirely different. You are saying that you are willing to serve God, you are willing to serve others, you are willing to put aside selfish concerns and focus your attention on God’s Kingdom. If that costs you money, if you have to give up some of your precious time, if you have to get out of your comfort zone, then that is just what you will have to do. When you bear a ...

4273. Keeping Sunday

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... , of course, attempting to live up to the requirements of the third commandment: "Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy." Some people would honor his attempt to live by the requirements of this commandment. Others would see it as an unnecessary concern for an outdated concept. In Jesus' brief ministry, he was repeatedly running into the requirements generated by this commandment. While he was often at odds with the religious authorities over how this commandment was to be observed, he did not discount ...

4274. You Are Free to Fail

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... problems began to attend her church. The pastor and congregation determined to love her into health and happiness. All of their attempts met with failure. When the woman was admitted to the state hospital, many members of the congregation sent cards expressing their concern. The hospitalized woman sent back the cards with criticisms and rejections written on them. When one member of the congregation was asked what she would do next, she responded, "The only truly loving thing there is to do. I'm going to ...

4275. Birthing the Kingdom

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... answered; we can grieve yet not without hope; we can face the worst the world throws at us and not despair. We can endure the painful small insults and rebuffs with forgiveness and fortitude. We can weather the natural disasters with generous and merciful concern for others. We can withstand human brutality with faithful witness, confident hope -- and with a passionate commitment to justice, so that others may be spared. We can do these things because God has promised that he will make sense of it all. God ...

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