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 4701 to 4725 of 4944 results

4701. When Life Isn't Fair

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... moment to repent? Actually, this question is not as difficult to answer as it seems, not to people who have walked with Christ for any time at all. THE QUESTION ASSUMES THAT A LIFE OF SIN IS MORE DESIRABLE THAN A LIFE OF FAITH. Why else would we be concerned about waiting until the last moment? Let me ask you a serious question. What would you change about your life if you knew there were no heaven and no hell? Would you be less loving toward your family? Would you cheat on your wife? Would you be dishonest ...

4702. When Our Only Measure Is Fairness

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

Joel D. Kline

... on the ground in early spring. It was a reminder that, in spite of all our hard work, so much of what comes our way in life has the quality of gift about it. We do not create it; it far exceeds our expectations. If our primary concern in life is limited to matters of fairness, we will frequently be disappointed. If we overlook the mystery in life and need to have things neatly explained, gratitude and graciousness will be edged out of our lives. Writes Robinson: "When our only measure is fairness, when our ...

4703. Pray, Baby, Pray

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... bringing together of two protons, but the bringing together of eight thousand physicists from eighty-five different countries to build this enormous machine. There is one tiny little glitch in all this good news and impressive scientific advancement. That is the nagging concern held by some researchers that this machine will cause the end of the world — maybe even the end of our galaxy. That could be a real “down-side.” Those who predict this doomsday scenario suggest that if physicists succeed in re ...

4704. Philippians 2:1-11

Philippians 2:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... hymn, they are not the reason for Paul’s presentation in these verses at this point. Debates over the sameness or differences between the “essences” of God and Christ, or on the interplay of “kenosis” and “pleurosis” are extensive. But Paul’s concerns lie elsewhere. Using a form that involves both mind and heart, here Paul presents the depth of Christ’s humility and the centrality of service and sacrifice in Christ’s mission. The first example of Christ’s humility celebrated by this ...

4705. The Rejected Stone

Mt 21:33-46; Acts 4:11; Ps. 118:22; I Pet. 2:7

Illustration

King Duncan

Jesus quoted the words of the Psalmist: "The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner..." (Ps. 118:22) Later Simon Peter would quote these words to the rulers and the elders in testimony concerning the good news of Christ. (Acts 4:11) Later he would cite those words again in his epistles. (I Pet. 2:7) There was a legend that was well known in New Testament times that in the building of the temple of Solomon most of the stones were of the ...

4706. Christ the Righteous Judge

Revelation 20:11-12

Sermon

Shirley Gupton Lynn

... life through Christ the Lord. And we need to make equally clear, human beings are ACCOUNTABLE to God. Judgment is as certain as death, and death is as certain as life. In this text today this mysterious, coded message, two things are perfectly clear concerning Christ the righteous judge. (1) The judgment is God's; (2) The choice is ours. 1. THE JUDGMENT IS GOD'S. You recall the book of Revelation is an "apocalyptic" writing. The word "apocalypse" is the Greek word for the English "Revelation," and it ...

4707. Rescued and Transferred

Colossians 1:11-14

Sermon

Shirley Gupton Lynn

... verse, my stage fright overtook me and I couldn't sing a note. "Lord, I prayed, if you want me to sing this song, you'll have to help me." The Lord did nothing. No rescue came. The alto finished the song by herself, and I got the message concerning my singing. But sometimes God does deliver us from something. God delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, Daniel from the lion's den, Jesus from the grave. And most of us can recount our own rescues. We were sick and we got well; grieving, but we found peace ...

4708. Jesus the Iconoclast

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... approach Jesus and ask him, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not" (v.17)? Jesus had no investment in either the icon of religious righteousness or the icon of political power. Both icons are ploys for power. Neither icons are concerned with a relationship, a vital, living loving connection to God. Jesus dismisses the "choices" he is given. Forget "A" and forget "B." Instead, fearlessly, Jesus offers his listeners the "C" option: "C" for clear the deck and claim a new perspective, get a ...

4709. Joy to the World!

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... up the season is the Charlie Brown Christmas. In this special Charlie Brown directs a Christmas play and hunts for the perfect tree, and Linus expounds on the true meaning of Christmas. When the special was first shown, the folks at CBS were concerned that the use of actual Bible quotes in the special would turn off viewers. Imagine that religion intruding into a Christmas special! But Peanuts creator Charles Schulz was insistent. So Linus recites from the book of Luke during the show, telling the same ...

4710. A Promise Fulfilled: A Gift Given

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." Jeremiah (23:5-6) and Micah (5:2-5) prophesied a warrior king, an image that was highly attractive to the persecuted Jewish people. But Isaiah (9:2, 6-7) proclaimed another message concerning who Immanuel would be: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in the land of darkness — on them light has shined.... For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and ...

4711. Baptism: The Common Call To Holiness

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... be a true follower would be high. In his famous book, The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer says that to be a follower of Jesus will cost us everything in this life, but will also lead to eternal life. Bonhoeffer knew and believed what the scriptures say concerning our baptism into Christ's death and how it leads to life. Saint Paul (Colossians 2:12) wrote, "When you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead." Discipleship ...

4712. Accepting the Unconventional in Life

Mark 2:13-22

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... with people society has deemed acceptable. The beautiful, powerful, and popular in the world become our community. Jesus' break with convention suggests that we must do likewise and seek in some overt, even preferential manner to meet the needs and address the concerns of those who live on the margins of society. Jesus' second response comes when he and his disciples fail to follow the fasting laws. He says, "The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they?" He continues, "The ...

4713. The Quiet Day of Pentecost

John 16:5-16, John 15:18--16:4

Sermon

George Reed

... the Body of Christ. We are all endowed with the Spirit of God, and while none of us can contain the wondrous knowledge of God in its entirety, together we are able to experience and realize more than any of us can individually. As we share our joys and concerns, our trips to the mountaintops and to the depths, we discover more and more what God is saying to us. Let us celebrate this Pentecost. Let this be a festival day that is filled with joy and enthusiasm for what God has done and what God continues to ...

4714. Where Is Your Trust?

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

George Reed

... ongoing relationship with the God of all creation? It is one thing to have a vague trust in the police department to keep our neighborhoods safe but it is quite another thing to know the officer who patrols our neighborhood and to know that person understands our concerns about the safety of our community. It is one thing to hope that medical science can take care of our ills and a very different thing to lie down on a surgical table and be confident in the knowledge and skill of our physician preparing to ...

4715. Only One Top Priority

Matthew 22:15-22

Illustration

Johnny Dean

... the things that are the emperor's" mean that a Christian is duty-bound to love America, right or wrong. I'm sorry, but I cannot agree with that. One Christian writer has said, "The greatest service Christians can render to their country is to become actively concerned about the destiny of the church." I have also heard it argued that "Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's" implies a strict separation of church and state, that Jesus is dividing life into ...

4716. Take My Heart, Lord (blow)

Matthew 22:15-22

Illustration

King Duncan

There is a silly story going around that makes a powerful point about where many of us are right now. According to the story, Pope John Paul II needed a heart transplant. There was much concern throughout the Roman Catholic world. Everyone gathered outside of the Vatican screaming and waving their hands. "Take my heart, Pope, take my heart!" Well, the Pope didn't know what to do, so an idea popped into his head. He asked everyone to please be quiet for a few minutes ...

4717. Day One: a New Beginning

Genesis 1:1-5

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... , and finally the tree itself goes out on the curb. Voila! Christmas is over! Now we can get back into our routine and move on with life. In fact, we've been moving on for a week now. But the truth is that as far as the church is concerned, Christmas isn't over quite yet. As far as our traditions and our history are involved, this day is actually the climax of the Christmas holiday. The Twelfth Day of Christmas is Epiphany. Don't tell the retail stores, but it's still Christmas! We should still be singing ...

4718. False Prophets

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

What is a prophet, anyway? The Oxford English Dictionary says that a prophet is "one who speaks for God." Actually the definitions and their roots go on for most of a whole page, but the "one who speaks for God" sums it up as far as we are concerned. Now let me ask you if you have ever known anyone who speaks for God? It seems a pretty tall order, doesn't it? Indeed, we often will look at someone askance who merely speaks for other people, let alone God. You've likely heard it before. "So and so ...

4719. A Sure-Fire Way to End Burn Out

Isaiah 40:21-31

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... a cliché that surrounds these ideas. It says that we should work as though everything depends on us, and pray knowing that it all depends on God. This, of course, is not easy. How can you put all your heart and effort into something and then not be concerned with the outcome? How can anyone plan, strategize, and work for a goal and not be invested in the conclusion? My own feeling here is that the very difficulty of such a notion illustrates how far we truly are from giving our lives over to God. "Have you ...

4720. God’s Surprises

Acts 10:44-48

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... angel." -- Anonymus Surprise. God has a big circle of love into which he intends to draw all of us, Gentiles and Jews, people of all colors and kinds, young and old, married, single, and widowed. When Christians include others in their circle of concern, they are angels at work for the kingdom, often without even knowing all they have done. Surprise. When someone leaves his or her comfort zone at the prompting of the Holy Spirit and ventures into the comfort zone of others, God provides wonderful miracles ...

4721. With Friends Like These ...

Job 38:1-7 (34-41)

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... . It is frightening to consider not being able to provide for a family or having to depend on others financially. Our home is the place where we belong and where we keep our belongings. It is a safe haven and retreat from the world's concerns. A debilitating illness can change the face of all that we do and are. It will require major changes in lifestyles and activities, and possible dependence on others for daily necessities. In A Letter of Consolation, Henri Nouwen writes that we can face our losses ...

4722. Write to the Heart

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... knows, he is pounding the pavement, preaching to a people who have turned away from God, a people who believe that the God of Abraham and Sarah is far away and virtually unknowable. God is out there somewhere, but certainly not close by, and not concerned in the least with individuals and their lives, or so the people thought. Worship practices of that day also contributed to the portrayal of God as being so holy and otherworldly that God could only be addressed with great formality. A priest was required ...

4723. Matthew 22:34-46

Matthew 22:34-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... answer would alienate some. According to rabbinic tradition there were 613 laws within the Torah. Each law was equally sacred, but tradition did distinguish between “heavy” and “light” commands. The Decalogue and other “heavy” commandments were concerned with the broad moral and ethical foundations of faith. The “lighter” commands, while encompassing overall ethical behavior, were much more localized and specific (“You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together” [Deuteronomy ...

4724. Would You Be a Saint?

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... humble themselves will be exalted” Jesus promises. Saints are not those who exceed all the rest of us. Saints are those who most wholly manifest Jesus’ mandate of service. The true saint is not a non-sinner. The true saint is one who humbles themselves, serves others, and does not concern themselves with the outcome. “You’re a saint!” Would YOU be a saint . . . ?

4725. The Long Haul

Matthew 25:14-30

Illustration

David Beckett

... . The dispensary was soon doing well. It eventually expanded, moved, and is now a branch of the New York Infirmary on East Fifteenth Street. This is where the financial investment advice is helpful: stay in there for the long term. It's about being more concerned with faithfulness than success. When success is our goal we are often tempted to take short cuts. And when we do we often miss out on vital life lessons faithfulness can teach us. Are you presently committed to something that is not yielding much ...

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