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 4726 to 4750 of 4770 results

4726. Christ, Our King

John 18:33-37

Sermon

Thomas C. Willadsen

... of Christ the King/ Reign of Christ Sunday to the calendar is that it came in an age when many, perhaps most, countries have elected, not dynastic governments. Perhaps this day was added to reacquaint Christians with being subjects. Looking at the long view of history, it’s probable that most Christians through the ages have lived under kings, queens, and other kinds of non- elected rulers. But for us Americans who fought a revolution to drive out dynastic government, who built into our constitution the ...

4727. Christ, Our King

John 18:33-37

Sermon

Thomas C. Willadsen

4728. Into the Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... half in what was then called an “insane asylum.” His hymns began to take on a darker color. During those bleak times, he penned this cry of spiritual loneliness: Where is the blessedness I knew, when first I sought the Lord? Where is the soul-refreshing view of Jesus and his word? (in the public domain) Cowper died of a broken heart and a crushed spirit. Sometimes we want to die, too, stranded in our own “maze of melancholy.” Yet the only way out is through, as Jesus shows us. Scripture is our link ...

4729. Scandal

Luke 22:14-23:56

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... , and then had ingested all the power of his target. He became a greater man by taking into himself the strength and energy of his betrayed friend. Don was dumbstruck! How could he communicate the story of Jesus and the love of God to these people if they viewed Judas, the betrayer, as the hero of the tale? And just as important, what was on the tribal menu for supper tonight? Were the Richardsons the next victims of “fattening the pig for the slaughter”? Don slipped out of the men’s lodge a wary and ...

4730. Creation Reborn

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... Mary looked into the empty tomb, the scene, as John described it, immediately calls to mind the arc of the covenant that symbolized Yahweh’s presence in the tabernacle and later the temple. While the other gospel writers told of angels being present, John viewed them through Mary Magdalene’s eyes, and saw two such creatures in exactly the same position as the cherubim that stood guard over the mercy seat throne. This time, however, the divine presence was missing, indicating the dawning of a new age in ...

4731. At the Table

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

... we are excluding from our tables? Who are the others that are unwelcome in our midst? To whom do we fail to say, “Come to the table”? Is it the person of color, tacitly welcomed but really feared or misunderstood? Is it the divorced woman or man, who we view as a sinner and unwelcome? Is it the single mother living in poverty, who has never been married and is struggling? Is it the homeless person we often see begging on the streets with a sign who smells when he sits next to us? Is it the gay, lesbian ...

4732. We Live in Hope

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

... are beyond my ability to explain to a nine-year old. He is eighteen now and still has more questions than answers, including whether or not there is a God. His confusion is not solitary. He understands there is one larger and more powerful than he, but does not view God in the ways some people of faith do ― he is not a conservative and he does not believe in the puppeteer God that controls every action. He is put off by the people who proclaim he is going to heal because he does not believe in God, as ...

4733. Into the Deep

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... When we live in the shallows, we don’t need to expand our worldview to accept others or to get to know people outside of our walls. When we live in the shallows it feels safer not to invest in those who think differently or who challenge our points of view. When we live in the shallows, it’s easy to go about our days not thinking about our relationship with God and what it truly means to live life to the fullest and to think deeply about what that means for our purpose and our life’s mission. But our ...

4734. When Following Is Not Enough

Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... and they had taken shorter trips into the wilderness to the east. This time, we see them walking up the shepherd trails on side of a mountain. They got to the top, and I imagine they might have just stood there for a few moments taking in the view, and then began to pray. At some point, something happened. The disciples were exhausted from the hike up the mountain and wanted to sleep. But as they sat down, they noticed that Jesus’ appearance began to change. It was like a bright ray of sunlight struck him ...

4735. God Soaked

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... them –watch out….for your own sin already has a stranglehold on your neck. Or as Jesus might say in another setting: when you set out to judge the sins of others, watch out for the giant log in your own eyes, distorting your point of view! But Jesus does not leave his listeners either to inflict endless judgement upon themselves either, but teaches them God’s ultimate lesson about the nature of sin –all sin can be redeemed! ALL sin…can be redeemed. Even the sin of judgment. Never write anyone off ...

4736. Why We Light the Candles

Luke 2:1-20 · Isaiah 9:2, 6

Sermon

Will Willimon

... fantasy and escape from the realities of life. . You have come not to light, but to the light, the light which lightens the whole world (John 1). We come because there is something within in us, in even the most hardened of hearts, and flattened, modem world views, there is something which rises, warms to the glow of the Christmas candles. And we see the lights of the candles, and the message of the carols, and we rise. But this is not a light of our creation. This is not the bright, burning glow of ...

4737. Why Pass By?

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... and a cranky toddler go in front of us in the checkout line. It’s going to be played out when we have to decide whether we’re going to take that close parking space or leave it for the elderly couple with the disability card hanging from their rear-view mirror. It’s going to be played out when we decided if we’re going to corral that grocery cart or let it roll free and possibly crash into someone’s car. It’s going to be played out at school when we decide whether we’re going to sit ...

4738. For Someone Who Heroically Suffered, Yet Spread Good Cheer

John 19:25-27 · 2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

... one, whether the two had broken up, or maybe got married and no longer pursued the niceties of romance. In any case, the man who could see out the window reported it all to the other man. In a sense, he labored hard to bring the outside world into view for his roommate who had become his friend. Then, one day, his condition worsened and soon thereafter he passed away. It was but a few hours later that the patient in the other bed, deeply grieving the loss of this one with whom he had been sharing so much ...

4739. For Someone Who Spread Good Cheer

2 Corinthians 4:6-11 · Matthew 5:13-16 · Matthew 25:31-46 · Romans 14:7-9

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

... of my aunt’s positive spirit. A natural for television, she became a regular on AM Buffalo where her winning smile and gorgeous looks lit up the screens of televisions all across Western New York. And like those who attended her sewing school, those who viewed her on television also became the beneficiaries of her positive spirit. Through the vehicle of sewing, my aunt became the sunshine of many a life. And not only was my aunt Helen the essence of elegance who radiated positive energy and lit up every ...

4740. For Someone Who Led a Happy and a Virtuous Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 · Matthew 25:31-46 · 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

... with the alumni, trumpeting whatever the cause that would better the school. And at Canisius College, Marty was instrumental in getting faculty and administration and alumni and student alike to work together to promote understanding, to cherish differences, to respect opposite views, and to develop a social conscience. Marty saw the Alumni not as a group of back slappers, but an integral piece of the education process. He was so well thought of and so well respected and so revered by Canisius College ...

4741. An Up-Close Nativity

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Heather Sugden

... when all people will come together, when all will not want for anything, and when peace will reign. Past, present, and future seem like too much for any one day to hold. And perhaps Christmas cannot hold it all perfectly still, in silhouette for us to view from afar. No — Christmas is not only a capsule of nostalgia, meant to dwell on the good old days of Christmases past. As Christians, we celebrate Christmas because of the hope it brings for Christ’s return to Earth — a hope born in our midst again ...

4742. God Is Like...a Parent

Hosea 11:1-4 · Luke 15:1-32

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

... (Isaiah 63:16b). And there’s a lovely verse, also in Isaiah, where God says to the people of Israel: As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem (Isaiah 66:13). But that’s about it. The Old Testament views God not as father of the natural world, not as father to all humanity, not as a heavenly parent who listens to the prayers of each individual. Rather, the Hebrews thought of God as father, and to a lesser extent, mother of their nation. As the father of ...

4743. God Is Like...Fire

Malachi 3:1-4 · Luke 3:1-6, 9,16-17

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

4744. Eyes Like a Hawk

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to be there, let alone host the group around them. In one short parable, Jesus challenged their closed system selective vision and advocated for an open door invitational viewpoint that went against every cultural expectation that informed their view of both themselves and others. Giving without expectation! Invitation without reciprocation! Exceeding instead of conforming! Humility rather than the hawkish competitive spirit that had dominated the Sabbath meal! In a sense, Jesus was simply reminding them of ...

4745. Against All Odds

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... had become their vision! God’s vision. A vision for all. Jesus’ disciples needed to be “gut-inspired” and fully committed. Because going halfway, half-hearted, or half-committed would never get it done! Jesus didn’t give his disciples a milk toast or Pollyanna view of what this “job” as a disciple would entail. He was honest, brutally so, and challenged them in ways that sound like the world’s best deterrent! You’ll need to put me and this mission first in your life! Even before your own ...

4746. Eternally Yours

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... recognize the “terroir” of a one-of-a-kind elixir? That’s what it’s like to be a Jesus disciple – when you look at that person who is different, who doesn’t run with your crowd, who belongs to a different kind of community, whose world view is nothing like your own, and instead of seeing “wrong,” you see a sibling. And when you look at different skin or tattered clothing or all of the differences in someone’s mindset that make them more at odds with you – what stands out most about them ...

4747. The Chasm

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... hellish” situations we find ourselves in, 2) the divisions we sow in life will likely follow us into death, and 3) ironically, those who would “save us” sometimes appear in our lives as those whom we thought needed the saving. Chasms begin with the way we view ourselves, God, and each other. The way we see each other determines the way we treat each other. Often, we don’t even realize we are harboring these senses of difference. They’ve become to us so natural and embedded that they appear to us ...

4748. Justified

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... life! Sometimes, living on the “margins” means more than being a societal outcast. Sometimes, it also means your faith is teetering on the “border” of a self-righteous expectation. To be fully restored for the Samaritan may never mean that he is viewed differently by his compatriots. They most likely saw him as different, even as they all gathered “in that borderline place,” stricken with the very same disease. But out of all of those men, only the Samaritan has been fully restored to God ...

4749. When In Our Music God Is Glorified

Isaiah 58:1-9a

Sermon

Will Willimon

... ) to creatures that only ought to be sung to the Creator." In other words, bad behavior begins in bad doxology. It all begins in some tacky tune, a doxology to a false God, and the next thing you know the SAE's are in trouble. It is a fascinating view of ethics. Bad behavior begins in bad music. We start out singing a tacky hymn to the accompaniment of an accordion and the next thing we know we're getting intimate with animals! Paul is making some kind of connection between the way we sing and the way we ...

4750. Chief Among Sinners

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Jill J. Duffield

... turns them into primary examples of life-changing grace. Those who know in the core of their being that they have been forgiven, spend their lives paying it forward, fourfold. Jesus used our smallest urges to see him, get close to him, learn who he is to expand our view and help us see beyond ourselves and our narrow self-interests. Jesus notices our tiniest desires to do and be better; he comes to us, calls us by name, and says: let me show you a new way, the excellent way, the way, the truth, and the life ...

Showing results