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 4876 to 4900 of 5000 results

4876. The Business Of The Church

Galatians 1:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Is there one simple answer to the question "What is the business of the church"? I was curious so I Googled™ "the business of the church" to see what might be out there. The first hit was an article from the March 17, 1952, issue of Time magazine, which was appropriately titled "The Business of the Church." At issue was the Washington advocacy activity of the Council for Social Action of the Congregationalist church that was considered somewhat left of center by some prominent church people. Dr. Walter ...

4877. Greed

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Scripture offers a wealth (if I may use that term) of material about greed, about the love of money or possessions, and the disastrous consequences that kind of love can have. Of course, there is Judas who, in his greed, became an accessory to murder; Ananias and Sapphira who lied about the sale price of their property so they could keep some of the money for themselves; the rich young ruler who wanted to follow Jesus but could not bring himself to get rid of his possessions first. First Timothy says, "The ...

4878. When Faith Faces Disaster

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

This text appears in the lectionary cycle just about the time of the America's remembrance of the September 11 attacks in 2001. "Life will never be the same again," we heard over and over, and that prediction has more or less proven true, although probably not in the ways that any of the pundits assumed. Many folks say they live in fear of more attacks, and it does not take a prophet to see that more are coming — as a nation we have never really addressed the motivations of the terrorists, and in fact, by ...

4879. A Religion That Shows

Haggai 1:15, 2:9

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Some little girls went on a hike with their scout troop. They were all dressed up in their uniforms and most proud of the way they looked as they tramped around the countryside. But with all that tramping around, some became a bit disheveled as the day wore on. One little girl, who normally wore a Saint Christopher medallion under her clothing, became just active enough to have it pop out from its place of concealment without even becoming aware of it. As might be expected, one of her little friends was ...

4880. Big Men in Little Planes

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

There is an interesting story that comes out of the Second World War. England and Germany both had state-of-the-art fighter planes. Germany had the Messerschmitt, which was considered to be the world’s fastest fighter plane. The British had the Supermarine Spitfire. The Spitfire was slower than the Messerschmitt. Nevertheless, German pilots were envious of their British counterparts. You see, the Messerschmitt had been designed to hold the perfect German. Who was the perfect German? Who else but Der Fuhrer ...

4881. Proper 4

1 Kings 18:20-21 (22-29) 30-39, Psalm 96:1-13, Luke 7:1-10, Galatians 1:1-12

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: We’re here again! It must be Sunday! The Old Testament poet invites us to sing to God — a new song! With the sky overhead and the earth suspended mysteriously in its place among the planets, it is easy for us to be awed and to sing and dance our praise. People: We certainly do not want to bore God with repetitious songs or old dances. Leader: Let’s try some new songs, some new words, and some new rituals. People: Hmm, we’re not sure we are comfortable enough to do that. Leader: How ...

4882. Made for Joy

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to give you some good news. It is good news anytime of the year, but especially so at Christmastime. Here is that good news: You were made for joy. You weren’t made to fret and worry and think dark thoughts. You were made for peace and love and light and joy. The story is told of a woman who dreamed of traveling to England and riding a train through the English countryside. One day her dream came true. She flew from the U.S. to London and after a good night’s sleep she boarded a train. However, ...

4883. Leading Others to Jesus

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

Richard Gribble

It was the Christmas season and thus the time for the local elementary school to present its annual Christmas play. One little girl named Caitlin invited her parents to come to the performance. She told them, “Mom and Dad, please come to the play for I have the most important role in the entire production.” Of course, Caitlin’s parents were more than happy to accept their daughter’s invitation to attend the event. On the night of the performance the school auditorium was filled with family, friends, and ...

4884. Leading Others to Jesus

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

It was the Christmas season and thus the time for the local elementary school to present its annual Christmas play. One little girl named Caitlin invited her parents to come to the performance. She told them, "Mom and Dad, please come to the play for I have the most important role in the entire production." Of course, Caitlin's parents were more than happy to accept their daughter's invitation to attend the event. On the night of the performance the school auditorium was filled with family, friends, and ...

4885. Meal of Death

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

There it is. No one can enter this sanctuary without noticing it. Because of the events we remember tonight, the night that our Lord was betrayed, this object is so central to our worship. What is it? Is it an altar? Or is it a table? I am not just nitpicking. What we call it probably reflects our understanding of what goes on there when Christians gather around it. There are dramatically different understandings of it within the Christian church. The gigantic high altar of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is ...

4886. Not Another Rerun!

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

Not another rerun! Many of us probably expressed that sentiment at some point during the past summer when we sat down in front of the television for an hour or so of relaxation after a hard day's work. Disappointment then set in as we surfed our favorite channels only to discover that overly hyped unreal "reality" shows and reruns of programs we had already seen were all that was being shown. By the time fall came around we were eager for something new. Our desire for something new extends to more ...

4887. When We Are Tempted

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Pastor John Jewell tells about a 20/20 episode sometime back in which some children of about four years of age were forced to deal with the ancient scourge of temptation. They were left alone in a room. Sitting in front of them was two or three M&Ms. They were told they could have a whole package of M&Ms if they would wait five minutes for a bell to ring before devouring the two or three M&Ms in front of them. The struggle of temptation was recorded through a two way mirror. The result was hilarious, says ...

4888. A New Kind of Authority

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

King Duncan

Former President George H. W. Bush, the elder Bush, was speaking to an appreciative audience some years back, immediately after leaving office. He explained what it was like to go from being Vice President for eight years and President for four years, to being a private citizen. “The first day I woke up,” he said, “I reached over to push the button to get somebody to bring me some coffee, but there was no button, and there was nobody to bring any coffee.” Then he added, “Barbara said, ‘Get out of bed and ...

4889. Unity and Hope

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

As we make our way through Advent inching closer to Christmas, our days are consumed with many tasks. Our “to do” list grows each day. At times we are often out of breath and wondering if we will complete everything on our list before Christmas Day. We gather on this Second Sunday in Advent to spiritually prepare for what God has done and continues to do in our lives and in our world. We have been too busy with all our activities and tasks so that we are in danger of missing out on the miracle of Christmas ...

4890. The ME and the WE

Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The gospel is not a tablet of ink, but a table of food around which everyone is invited to sit down together and eat, drink and dream for tomorrow we act. A few weeks ago we marked the fiftieth anniversary (1963-2013) of Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech. The power of that proclamation, the timely words of one man spoken at the one right moment before the enormous crowd gathered before the Lincoln Memorial, provided the “tipping point” for the civil rights movement and for decades of ...

4891. Duuuh!

John 14:15-31

Sermon

David O. Bales

If you’ve been around the Christian faith for a while, you’ve noticed how people pick what they like from the Bible. Like a giant magnet at a wrecking yard we each reach down into the material of the Bible and pick up only what we want — get the iron, leave the wood, paper, and plastics. We’re not convincing if we say, “I don’t do it but everyone else does.” We all do. It’s just that some are so obvious about it. I’ve dealt with two main types of Bible-selectors. One brand of Christian Bible-selector is ...

4892. A New Name for a New Year

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

A minister wrote in the church newsletter that he was setting goals for the New Year. One of his goals was to clean up his desk. Another of his goals was to find last year’s goals. Some of you probably keep desks like that. Some of you will remember the “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strip. In one strip, Calvin and Hobbes are talking about the New Year. Calvin says, “I’m getting disillusioned with these New Years. They don’t seem very new at all. Each New Year is just like the old year. Here another year has ...

4893. Up Close & Personal: Coming Into Focus

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

James Merritt

This is what most of us know as an “eye chart.” The actual name for this piece of paper is a Snellen Chart, and it is used to test your vision. More specifically, it is used to test how well your eyes can focus. At a distance of 20 feet, if you can read the red line on this chart, then you have 20/20 vision. Now, if all you can read is one of the larger letters, then this tells the eye doctor that your vision is out of focus. [Pastor’s Note: A PowerPoint slide of a Snellen Eye Chart is included in your ...

4894. The Question that Will Change Your Life

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you noticed there are all kinds of questions? There are silly questions and there are great questions. There was a comedian who was riding a subway into work. He had finished reading the morning paper and was saving it to bring to his friends at work. “How do you save a newspaper on the subway?” he asks. You sit on it. A new commuter came on the subway, saw the newspaper that the comedian was sitting on and asked, “Are you reading that paper?” The comedian stood up, turned the page, sat down on the ...

4895. Running over the Cat

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a story that Chuck Swindoll told years ago that is both sad and somewhat ironic. In 1978, firemen in England went on strike in the middle of a hard cold winter. This is not unusual in Great Britain. Civil servants are notorious for their “industrial actions.” The British Army was called in to take over emergency firefighting. On January 14 these substitute firefighters were called out by an elderly lady in South London to retrieve her cat. The soldiers arrived with impressive haste, very cleverly ...

4896. An Announcement for a New Year

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

King Duncan

This is the last Sunday of 2014. Next Sunday is the year of our Lord 2015. My guess is that for some of us that hardly seems possible. Wasn’t it just yesterday when we were in a tizzy over Y2K and the beginning of a new millennium? On the other hand, it seems like a life-time ago. Besides, according to the ballyhooed Mayan calendar, the world should have ended December 21, 2012. [And according to Hal Lindsay and The Late, Great Planet Earth and numerous Left Behind books by Tim LaHaye, we should all have ...

4897. Wanna Fight?

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon

King Duncan

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us . . .” What a message this is for our society: “whoever is not against us is for us . . .” That’s not the current theme in our society, is it? It’s us against them . . . Democrats against Republicans . . . Illegal ...

4898. A Fig Tree Sprouts Leaves

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

King Duncan

In one of his books, motivational speaker Zig Ziglar tells the story of NFL quarterback Jeff Hostetler, formerly with the New York Giants. At the beginning of his career, Jeff was a back-up quarterback. By the end of his seventh season, he had thrown less than two hundred passes, and none of them had any bearing on the outcome of a game. Then Phil Simms, the starting quarterback of the Giants, went down with an injury, and coach Bill Parcels looked to his back-up quarterback on the bench and said, “Okay, ...

4899. Brushing Your Teeth with Oreos

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

Having a family is a challenge. One poor mom described the challenge she has keeping a clean house like this, “Cleaning house with kids around,” she said, “is like brushing your teeth with Oreos.” Yucky! Sounds kind of gross to me. Those of you with small children, however, will have to tell me if she got it right. Humorist Robert Orben asks, “Who can ever forget Winston Churchill’s immortal words: ‘We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in ...

4900. Sunday's Here

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

Many of you are familiar with Tony Campolo’s classic sermon, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming.” It was based on a sermon Tony once heard his African-American pastor preach on Good Friday. This pastor began his message by quietly saying, “It’s Friday and my Jesus is hanging dead on a tree. But it’s Friday, and Sunday’s coming.” One of the deacons yelled, “Preach, brother, preach!” It was all the encouragement that preacher needed. He grew a little louder. “It’s Friday, and Mary’s crying her eyes out and ...

Showing results

Showing 4876 to 4900 of 5000 results

4876. The Business Of The Church

Galatians 1:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

4877. Greed

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sermon

David E. Leininger

4878. When Faith Faces Disaster

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

4879. A Religion That Shows

Haggai 1:15, 2:9

Sermon

David E. Leininger

4880. Big Men in Little Planes

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

4881. Proper 4

1 Kings 18:20-21 (22-29) 30-39, Psalm 96:1-13, Luke 7:1-10, Galatians 1:1-12

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

4882. Made for Joy

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

4883. Leading Others to Jesus

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

Richard Gribble

4884. Leading Others to Jesus

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

It was the Christmas season and thus the time for the local elementary school to present its annual Christmas play. One little girl named Caitlin invited her parents to come to the performance. She told them, "Mom and Dad, please come to the play for I have the most important role in the entire production." Of course, Caitlin's parents were more than happy to accept their daughter's invitation to attend the event. On the night of the performance the school auditorium was filled with family, friends, and ...

4885. Meal of Death

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

4886. Not Another Rerun!

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

4887. When We Are Tempted

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan