Dictionary: Face
Synonyms: countenance, physiognomy, profile, features, expression, facial expression, look, appearance, air, manner, bearing, guise, cast, aspect, impression, grimace, scowl, wry face, wince, frown, glower, smirk, pout, moue, side, flank, vertical, surface, plane, facet, wall, elevation, dial, display, (outward) appearance, nature, image, front, show, act, false front, facade, exterior, mask, masquerade, pretence, charade, pose, illusion, smokescreen, veneer, camouflage, respect, honour, esteem, regard, admiration, approbation, acclaim, approval, favour, appreciation, popularity, estimation, veneration, awe, reverence, deference, recognition, prestige, standing, status, dignity, glory, kudos, cachet, effrontery, audacity, nerve, gall, brazenness, brashness, shamelessness, look out on, front on to, look towards, be facing, have/afford/command a view of, look over/across, open out over, look on to, overlook, give on to, give over, be opposite (to), accept, come to accept, become reconciled to, reconcile oneself to, reach an acceptance (of), get used to, become accustomed to, adjust to, accommodate oneself to, acclimatize oneself to, be confronted by, be faced with, encounter, experience, come into contact with, run into, come across, meet, come up against, be forced to contend with, beset, worry, distress, cause trouble to, trouble, bother, confront, burden, brave, face up to, meet head-on, dare, defy, oppose, resist, withstand, cover, clad, skin, overlay, dress, pave, put a facing on, laminate, inlay, plate, coat, line
Antonyms: dodge, fear, back, give way, back down, dodge, avoid, throw in the towel, withdraw, cave in, retreat, succumb to, lay down one's arms, throw in the sponge, defer, submit, escape, bashfulness, shun, evade, elude
Showing 4826 to 4850 of 4981 results
Sermon
Richard Gribble
... of explaining Jesus' inner turmoil after his baptism - his need to sort out his experience and come to grips with his Messianic consciousness and his future public ministry. The most popular scholarly opinion concerning Jesus' temptation is ethical in nature, suggesting that the events recounted are presented as a model for Jesus' disciples, present and future, on how to resist temptation. The third model held by some scholars is more Christological, seeing in the confrontation what the Matthean community ...
Sermon
Richard Gribble
... these contemporary "gods." Jesus was strong enough to say no to such temptation; we must do the same. Then we went up to the top of the high mountain and witnessed, along with Peter, James, and John, Jesus' transfiguration. What we experienced in Jesus' physical nature was the goal we set for our spiritual selves. We sought to be converted on the inside to a new and stronger relationship with Christ. We then journeyed to Samaria and overheard Jesus' conversation with the woman at Jacob's well. We sought, as ...
Sermon
Richard Gribble
... margins of our society. There are those teachers, as well, who suggest that all the answers to life's questions and problems can be found in the world and all that it has to offer. The allure of power, wealth, and prestige, the three great sins of human nature, is strong and many preach this as the message of salvation. Such prophets are the thieves and bandits to whom Jesus refers in his metaphor. In many ways all are prophets of doom who insist that God should play no role in our world or our lives. In ...
Sermon
Richard Gribble
The name Robert Stroud is not one commonly heard in ordinary conversation, but this man's contribution to humanity will live on in the minds of many under a different title, "The Birdman of Alcatraz." By nature, Robert Stroud was not a congenial man. As a youth he was always getting into fights, disagreements, and various altercations. When he was only nineteen he killed a man in a barroom brawl, was convicted of second-degree murder, and was sentenced to the Federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, ...
Sermon
Stephen M. Crotts
... that some sickness is for the glory of God. We live in a broken world. We can be born with deformities like blindness, hormonal imbalances, and mental deficiencies. Furthermore, this broken world can break us. This is seen in childhood diseases, accidents, and natural disasters. Saint Paul had his own famous "thorn" in his flesh. He suffered with it throughout his adult life. Of course, Jesus endured crucifixion. Both of them, Jesus and Paul, suffered for God's glory. They suffered with God as he worked to ...
4831. Do You Get It?
Matthew 16:21-28
Sermon
Stephen M. Crotts
... the confession of faith that Peter had just made. Jesus' words seem to contradict what it means to be the Messiah and don't make any sense. When Jesus starts talking that way, Peter figures that he's mistaken and wants to correct him. That's a very natural thing for Peter to do. When Peter said that Jesus was the Messiah, he meant that Jesus was the Lord's anointed, the long-awaited king who would finally liberate the people of Israel from oppression. If that were the case, it wouldn't make any sense for ...
Sermon
Stephen M. Crotts
... on Calvary, they snuffed out the light of God himself when they crucified Jesus. Dear people, history can repeat itself. How long do you think it'd take us to crucify Christ if he came to us again? Are we not just like the people of old? Isn't their nature ours? We, too, have little trouble finding the truth. It's facing it that is difficult! If we are to find God, face him, and live in his light, we must accept our guide to Christmas. We must take him seriously. A man's ability to accept Jesus is directly ...
4833. History: His Story
Matthew 21:33-46
Sermon
Stephen M. Crotts
... Jesus said, the owner sent his only son, thinking, "Surely they well respect my son, the heir." But when they saw him, they killed him, gloating, "Now the vineyard will be all ours!" Yes, Jesus said, history is like that. There is something in our bent, sinful nature that will not be owned, will not be ruled, will not accept orders, will not worship, and Jesus said the history of civilization is but the working out of that sin. Years back, I caught my two pre-school-age sons in my Jeep. They had been ...
Sermon
Stephen M. Crotts
... doubt. Faith is found in the tension between the opposites. Sometimes we are drawn toward one pole and we are confident in our faith. Other times we are drawn toward the other pole, where we can barely contain our skepticism and doubt, but that's the nature of faith, and contradictions are an integral part of it. We can only thank God that he too maneuvers in the realm of contradiction, with unchanging love and mercy that is new every morning. 1. Sides was interviewed on Fresh Air, broadcast on NPR March 24 ...
Sermon
Stephen M. Crotts
... snow will tell you what white really is. My car looked yellow by comparison. Same with God. You glimpse him in worship, and suddenly you see yourself in comparison, and you don't look so good. That's why I got real humble real fast. And it just seemed natural to ask for his mercy in Christ." "But what about other people?" "Listen, I've had more trouble with myself than with any other person on earth!" "Where did you learn your ways of worship, I might ask?" "Oh, I learned them in scripture. Look at Isaiah 6 ...
4836. A Life Well Lived
2 Timothy 3:10--4:8
Sermon
King Duncan
... condition that can affect those born with it in a variety of ways--both physically and mentally. These young people can be quite loving and a joy to be around. Many parents of children with this condition consider themselves blessed. Still, the nature of their condition requires a lifetime of special attention. It is not easy for their families. The man observed the young families gathered there for that workshop. They were quality young adults with sons and daughters to whom they are devoted. The ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... the land, use their listening skills to help them avoid obstacles, dodge dangers, track and capture prey, and find their way home. By transforming what we think of as a passive sense - listening, into an active skill - locating and navigating, the whole nature of listening takes on new power and vitality. In this week's 2 Peter text the author makes a similar transformation with the task of waiting. The false teachers in some Christian communities had started questioning the promised parousia - the return ...
4838. The Holidaze Craze
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... of grace to others through deeds, goods, services, attitudes, and energy that lift them up, not lift us up. "Back in the 5th century a remarkable pope, Leo the Great, closed a Christmas sermon with these words: 'Christians, recognize your dignity! You share in God's own nature. Bear in mind [the Christ] who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Through the sacrament of baptism you have become a temple of the Holy Spirit." (As quoted by Walter J. Burghardt, To Be Just Is To Love [NY: Paulist Press ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... millions, even billions of dollars into wiping out diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, and cholera. These age-old scourges have periodically decimated human populations since before recorded history. They flourish in poor conditions, bad water, and especially at the sites of other natural disasters. Is it reasonable to think we can find a cure for these and many of the other plagues that piggyback on poverty and disasters? What a miracle it would be to have a vaccine against malaria. The mosquito would no ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... no water for the people to drink. How could they continue to trust and follow a leader who would bring them to such a desperate state? What kind of leadership would require so much risk on the part of those being led? The serious threatening nature of the Israelite's discontent with Moses and with God led the location of this dispute itself to be christened Massah-Meribah--the scene of trial and quarrel. So negative was the people's attitude that Massah and Meribah are an often repeated symbol of Israelite ...
4841. Show Me Your Passport
Philippians 1:12-30
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... it in the unsteadiness and insecurity that gnaws at the usual American confidence and can-do attitude. And now Hurricane Katrina. It's as though it has not been enough that there are terrorist, nationalistic, and political forces wishing us dead. Now nature itself seems to have tried to blow our homeland apart. The horror stories and nightmare photos of the hurricane's almost unfathomable destruction has soaked our psyches and our souls these last two weeks. Our ability to comprehend what has happened and ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... in the Bible and since priests and other religious authorities had long practiced exorcisms of such demons, surely people could understand all his years of stalking and killing. Once again, "The Devil made me do it." In his interview, the sociopathic and psychotic nature of Rayder's personality became obvious. He spoke in a measured tone. He calmly described the heinous plots and thoughts that became his reason to live. But we keep coming back to what seems so terrifying about the BTK murderer: he was so ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... stuff we squeeze out onto our summer hot dogs. As well as being a welcome burst of early spring color and a tangy condiment, mustard has long been valued for its medicinal properties. The pungent aroma of crushed mustard seed is a popular natural sinus decongestant. Deeper congestion, lungs filled with fluid, was also relieved by mustard's active properties. A mustard "plaster" or poultice - in which a mashed-up, mushy mess of mustard would fill a bandage wrapped around the chest - served as a powerful, if ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... subservient, donkeys were a necessary, but unexceptional part of first-century life. The donkey is clearly Jesus' own choice of mount for his entrance into Jerusalem. Riding on that humble beast, Jesus both inhabited the words of Zechariah's prophecy and illustrated the dual nature of his messianic identity. He was King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But he was also servant of servants, a work horse, helper of helpers. While he was ushered into Jerusalem with a royal processional, he rode on the steed of the ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... its way around and through, meandered back and forth by the barren trees and beaten pathways of the park. For only sixteen days, from February 12-28, this orange-yellow exotic flora bloomed in the midst of winter's greyness. This was no natural phenomenon. It was the latest piece of artwork erected by the [1]artist Christo and his wife Jean-Claude. Every few years it seems, this artist unveils another gargantuan exhibit, wrapping (or surrounding) open spaces, buildings, even islands. Christo's projects call ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... our culture with a deluge of celebrity gossip and trivia. To be sure, some of this celebrity-celebration is harmless enough. In this increasingly shrinking global culture with its own global consciousness and global figures, idle curiosity is natural about our neighbors who are spectacularly rich, successful, thin, and beautiful. But a destructive, compulsive form of fan-fixation fuels an ever-increasing number of celebrity gawkers. In fact these fans are less celebrity watchers than celebrity worshipers ...
4847. Night Vision
2 Peter 1:12-21
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... , and not being in any hurry to grow up. Can our own vision this morning see beyond dollar signs and easy answers? This is where my second Night Vision story comes in. The most basic of all human instincts is that of self-preservation. It's only natural that we look out for number one, that we do our utmost to insure our own survival. There are, of course, countless examples of those with bleeding heart myopia to counter such a claim. What is it that forces our hearts and minds and bodies to discount ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... , Brand.new (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press). We live in a world of "brandscapes" (John Sherry) and our kids know how to read this world of brandscapes even better than we do. You don't have to shout the brand you're wearing. People recognize it naturally, even mindlessly. The symbolic role of brands largely goes undetected, as we consume symbols and don't know we're doing it. Let me give you an example. One of the most powerful images in life (at least for men) is that of the feminine figure ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... baking was to keep a live yeast population going all the time. Sourdough yeast has bacteria in it that can survive for decades, even centuries. In fact theoretically these cultures could live forever. Sourdough starters are live cultures of naturally-occurring wild yeasts, lactobacteria and fungi. Literally millions of lactobacilli live in one little starter. Carbon dioxide is what causes dough to rise. These bacteria produce the gasses that give baked goods their lightness. It feeds on carbohydrates (such ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... thing that your whole being was made to receive without disrupting and deranging and upsetting your life. That is Jesus. The more you let Jesus into your life, the more You you become and the stronger you become. [Note: I've used this animation to demonstrate Jesus' human and divine nature in seminary classes – Len]
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