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 4301 to 4325 of 4455 results

4301. Worth the Wait

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

Church doesn't get much more joyful than this, does it? Christmas Day! Our scripture speaks of joy, as well as our other carols today. How could this service have possibly started with any other carol than "Joy To the World"? Often, in anticipation of Sunday services through the rest of the year, those involved in planning worship scour the lectionary for scholarly comments on Bible passages in question for the day; our musicians go to the music library in search of music in keeping with scripture's theme ...

4302. Grand Opening

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

Carefully the plans are laid. The property is purchased, the foundations are poured, the combination of bricks and sticks are put in their proper places, so that, after weeks of work and waiting, the building begins to take shape. Then, when the building is completed, a merchant makes his appearance on the scene, having long since made his purchasing plans and placed his orders for the first selection of goods to be offered to his anticipated customers. The empty store shelves and racks fill with ...

4303. I Went Down to the River to Pray

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

Today is a good day to say a good word about baptism. I suppose any Sunday is really an appropriate day for a favorable word about baptism, but today we have heard scripture loaded with images of baptism, so it is a good day to speak about that which is often so close at hand that we may sometimes miss its significance. Psalm 29 is among the psalms that use the imagery of water to declare the tremendous power of the word of God: The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord ...

4304. Due for Renewal

Mark 2:13-22

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

Every pastor, on occasion, feels the need to remind a congregation that we need not fear things that are new. Indeed, the apostle Paul declared that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation ... things that are new ought to be things in which we feel free to take part. Once, the chair of a denominational committee on worship, when speaking of new things and strong opposition to them by congregations, shared a story about a friend of his in ministry. This pastor wanted his congregation to recite the ...

4305. The Wisdom of The Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

There are some people who have the gift of persuasion. If you've ever seen the Music Man, it's a gift that Professor Hill had as he sold musical instruments to all the kids in town by convincing everyone that they could make beautiful music by just thinking the notes. He was what you'd call a smooth talker, which is a valuable skill for a salesperson. There are also other professions where it helps to have strong verbal skills that can be used for persuasion. Take politicians, for example. Bill Clinton was ...

4306. The Difference Between Getting and Giving

John 1:1-18

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

Theme: Exploring the difference between selfish getting and gracious giving Characters: Narrator Old Man Old Man’s Pastor Former Girlfriend Beggar Man In Santa Claus Suit Devout Gentleman The Lord (or voice) Tone: Humorous and thought-provoking Setting/Props: Park bench Two chairs Bible Logo or sign suggesting “Heaven” Spotlight (to represent the Lord) Special white robe Approximate time: 5-9 minutes (The scene opens in a park. The Old Man is sitting on a bench pondering something deep.) Narrator: Once ...

4307. The Will

Mark 13:1-31

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

Theme: The challenge of living together in community, love one another Characters: Attorney Carl (brother to Jen and Merrial) Jen (sister number 1) Merrial (sister number 2) Receptionist Tone: Argumentative with a surprise at the end Setting/Props: Desk Telephone Intercom Chairs Nail file Gum Scene 1 takes place in a lawyer’s office Scene 2 takes place in the law office reception room Approximate time: 7-8 minutes Scene 1 (Attorney is sitting at his desk. The telephone rings and he answers it.) Attorney: ...

4308. Jesus Rescues Us

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Oskar Schindler, immortalized in Steven Spielberg's 1993 prize-winning film, Schindler's List, was a man who rescued the oppressed and brought them new life. He was born on April 28, 1908, in Moravia, Austria-Hungary, now the Czech Republic. After completing his education, he worked as a commercial salesman, changing jobs many times during the 1930s. He tried other businesses, but soon went bankrupt due to the Great Depression, which gripped Europe at the time. Though a citizen of Czechoslovakia, Schindler ...

4309. God Makes All Things New

Isaiah 61:10—62:3

Sermon

Richard Gribble

It was just a small, white envelope that stuck out among the branches of our Christmas tree. There was no name, no identification, and no inscription. It peeked out from the branches of our tree for the past ten years or so. Its story, however, speaks of how God makes all things new. It all began with Mike, a man who hated Christmas. Oh, he did not hate the true meaning of Christmas, but he did very much dislike the commercial aspects of it — overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to ...

4310. God Is the Hound of Heaven

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Students of American history have always been fascinated by the life and career of the sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Honest Abe, as his Kentucky and Illinois peers knew him, is the subject of history lessons from primary school through graduate school education. Lincoln was the stereotypical backwoodsman who felt the call to public service on local, state, and national levels. He became well known for his anti-slavery political and moral stance and saw his goal as president to ...

4311. Baptism: The Light Shatters the Darkness

Genesis 1:1-5

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Winston Churchill, the famous British statesman who led England as prime minister through the horrors of World War II, was a man who prepared the people for future joy. He was born in 1874 to a British Lord and an American heiress. His heroics during the infamous Boer War in the last days of the nineteenth century made him a national hero and greatly aided his election to Parliament in 1900. In only four years he renounced his aristocratic background and joined the Liberal Party. During World War I and the ...

4312. Commissioned for Christ

2 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Richard Gribble

On a warm and sunny early June day in 1943, John Francis Laboon, "Jake" to his friends, stood with his Naval Academy classmates on Warden Field; it was graduation day. These men were the class of 1944, but because of World War II raging in both the Pacific and European theaters, and thus need of their presence in the fleet, the class was "accelerated" one year in its training. A rough and tumble young man from the steel town of Pittsburgh, Jake had come to the academy in the summer of 1940. He excelled in ...

4313. Thanks for the Memories!

Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14

Sermon

Ken Lentz

The dark of the night began to turn to the gray of morning. In the clouded distance could be heard the cries of mothers and fathers discovering the lifeless forms of their firstborn sons. The elders rushed from one adobe structure to another. "Quick!" they whispered, "pack the unleavened dough! Finish the lamb! Grab what you can! Now is the moment! Follow Moses to the sea while the Egyptians are preoccupied with their tragedy." Hurriedly and silently, the dark shapes of men, women, and children passed ...

4314. The First Ten People

Illustration

J.M. Boice

During WWI one of my predecessors at Tenth Presbyterian Church, Donald Grey Barnhouse, led the son of a prominent American family to the Lord. He was in the service, but he showed the reality of his conversion by immediately professing Christ before the soldiers of his military company. The war ended. The day came when he was to return to his pre-war life in the wealthy suburb of a large American city. He talked to Barnhouse about life with his family and expressed fear that he might soon slip back into ...

4315. Taking the Fall

Illustration

Staff

In Ernest Gordon's Miracle on the River Kwai, Scottish soldiers, forced by their Japanese captors to labor on a jungle railroad, degenerated into barbarous behavior, but one afternoon something happened. A shovel was missing. The Japanese officer in charge became enraged. He demanded that the missing shovel be produced, or else. When nobody in the squadron budged, the officer got his gun and threatened to kill them all on the spot . . . It was obvious the officer meant what he had said. Then, finally, one ...

4316. Familiar Treasures

Illustration

An unknown author once said, "As a boy, I thought of heaven as a city with domes, spires, and beautiful streets, inhabited by angels. By and by my little brother died, and I thought of heaven much as before, but with one inhabitant that I knew. Then another died, and then some of my acquaintances, so in time I began to think of heaven as containing several people that I knew. But it was not until one of my own little children died that I began to think I had treasure in heaven myself. Afterward another ...

4317. Matthew 23:1-12

Matthew 23:1-39

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Jesus’ discourse in Matthew 23 reveals some of the foibles and follies of those striving to be respected and remembered as truly pious. The Pharisees, the group selected for reprimand in today’s text, were not the “bad kids” in the first century collective crowd. In fact, they were perceived by most Jews as the most straight-laced, Torah-observant, morally and religiously strict and respectable. But in Matthew’s gospel the Pharisees are repeatedly held up as examples of what was wrong with first-century ...

4318. You Won't Regret This

Illustration

Brett Blair

Regret is a part of life. Lost opportunities and lost health but life can also be filled with things we'll never regret. Here's a short list: Showing kindness to an aged person. Destroying a letter written in anger. Offering an apology that will save a friendship. Stopping a scandal that was ruining a reputation. Helping a child find themselves. Forgiving a wrong. Taking time to show consideration to parents, friends, brothers and sisters. Refraining from gossip when others around you delight in it. ...

4319. Gratitude Lunch

Illustration

Courtland Milloy

Jermaine Washington, 26, did something that amazes many people. He became a kidney donor, giving a vital organ to a woman he describes as "just a friend." Washington met Michelle Stevens, 23, when they began working together at the Washington, D.C., Department of Employment Services. They used to have lunch with one another and chitchat during breaks. "He was somebody I could talk to," says Stevens. "One day, I cried on his shoulder. I had been on the kidney donor waiting list for 11 months, and I had lost ...

4320. The Setting of the Sun

Illustration

Margaret Sangster

It isn't the thing you do; It's the thing you leave undone, Which gives you a bit of heartache At the setting of the sun. The tender word forgotten, The letter you did not write, The flower you might have sent, Are your haunting ghosts tonight. The stone you might have lifted Out of a brother's way, The bit of heartsome counsel You were harried too much to say. The loving touch of the hand, The gentle winsome tone, That you had no time or tho't for With troubles enough of your own. The little acts of ...

4321. No Amens

Humor Illustration

I recall the story of a man's funeral. The wife and her two sons were seated on the front pew. The songs had been sung and the preacher began to elocute about the departed brother: "He was a man's man." "Amen," said the congregation. "He was a man who worked hard." And a few said "Amen." "He was a man the bottle could not control." "Amen," said one or two mourners. "He was a man who loved his home and wife and children." "Amen." "He was a man who paid his debts and a man who told the truth." (No amens.) ...

4322. Peace and Quiet

Humor Illustration

Advent was one week away, so Michelle Hardie and her husband thought they'd see what their children remembered from their family devotions the year before. "Who can tell me what the four candles in the Advent wreath represent?" Michelle asked. Luke jumped in with seven-year-old wisdom and exuberance. "There's love, joy, peace, and . . . and . . ." "I know!" six-year-old Elise interrupted to finish her brother's sentence: "Peace and quiet!"

4323. Aspiring young writers

Humor Illustration

These are supposedly actual high school essays collected by English teachers across the country for their own amusement. Some of these kids may have bright futures as humor writers. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a ThighMaster. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar ...

4324. Outside of Himself

Mark 3:20-30

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

As some commentators have pointed out, it appears that it was particularly Jesus' engagement with the demonic that was causing Mary and Jesus' brothers to arch their eyebrows the sharpest. It all seemed a little bizarre to them. In verse 21 they say literally that they had to get him on home because Jesus was exeste, a word meaning to stand outside of yourself. Even today we may refer to a person who is an emotional wreck as being "beside himself" with grief. The idea is that someone has taken leave of his ...

4325. When the Going Gets Tough ... the Tough Start Praying!

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

Ever since the sign went up on our property that our church was coming I've gotten phone calls from people asking when we'll have a church. I can be a smart aleck as some of you will attest and so I'm often quick to respond that we already have a church, we just don't have a building. "Well," they usually say, "give me a call when you get the building done; I'm not going to worship in a high school cafeteria." Before I can give my canned speech about the difference between a church and the building I ...

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