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 26 to 50 of 323 results

26. Point Of Origin

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... made his first A in a course in graduate school. The school was on a British-type system. It had a reading period in January for two weeks and then students took exams. After the exams, everyone took off for home or snow skiing or warmer climates. When students turned in an exam, they gave the professor a stamped, self-addressed postcard. The professor would mail the grade. The day before this student was to leave for home, he received the postcard in his dormitory mailbox. It said A. He was an A student ...

27. Enlarge Your Horizons

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... our own local fellowship more intimate we too might see how others whom we thought to be so different from us are really very much like us with a common bond in Christ. Finally, if we enlarge our horizons, our mission will be done in a more welcoming climate. Take for example this true story of the plight of a middle-aged couple who decided one Sunday to go to a new church. Their first problem was they did not know where to park the car; the parking lot was so well concealed. When they entered the narthex ...

28. Play The Fool

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... fools for Christ. Cal Samra is a good contemporary example. In the early 1980s he reached the nadir in his personal life. Forced to resign his job as a newspaper reporter, with a broken marriage and deteriorating health, he moved, seeking refuge in the warm climate of Arizona. He found his way to the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale where he learned to relax, pray and gain a fresh perspective on the Christian life. Father Lambert gave him a gift of a painting of a smiling Christ carrying the imprint ...

29. Two-and-a-Half Cheers For Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-2, Matthew 6:5-6, Matthew 6:16

Sermon

Thomas Long

... hypocrisy. "Father, do not forgive him, for he knows full well what he's doing." Positioned on the scale of evildoing somewhere between tobacco company executives and junk bond traders, hypocrites are convenient villains for our cultural rage. In a therapeutic climate, where people clamor to appear on Oprah and Geraldo to do an emotional striptease, baring in the name of candor the deepest secrets of their past in front of an audience of perfect strangers, hypocrites seem, by contrast, emotionally stunted ...

30. Knowing The Voice

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Thomas Long

... bring for the church in North America? He spoke slowly -- even cautiously -- at first, measuring his words, weighing their risk, a man unaccustomed to candor among relative strangers. Gradually gaining confidence, he spoke of dramatic shifts in the social and political climate of his region, of the church made strong through hardship and persecution. Indeed, with an eye cast toward the American religious scene, he observed that possibly the greatest threat to the church in his own land was the temptation to ...

31. Adam And Jesus See Temptation

Genesis 3:1-24, Genesis 2:4-25, Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

David Belgum

... cloud. Yes, we have it good here in America. Adam's situation was much like ours. He was surrounded by a rich diet of fish, meat, fruit, grains; all available just for the very slight work of picking them as needed. His clothing budget was nil since the climate was so mild in the Garden of Eden. He had no mortgage, nothing to worry about. He could cavort around the Garden in the daytime and sleep soundly at night because he had no need for sleeping pills to soothe his mind uncluttered by worry about stress ...

32. While This House Lies In Ruins

Haggai 1:1-15

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... and tough winters. The money is losing its value. Did you honestly think, he asks, that what you do would not affect the world around you? Before you ask if our actions really affect the weather, it is well to remember that we are changing the climate of our earth even now, widening the hole in the ozone layer, deforesting great portions of the globe, affecting the balance between carbon dioxide and oxygen. The debate is still going on as to whether we will experience another ice age or a global warming ...

33. For I Have Chosen You!

Haggai 2:20-23

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... !" The people in Haggai's time were suffering from a deep spiritual malaise. They had been full of a dream to rebuild God's kingdom on earth, yet eighteen years went by and they hadn't built the Temple. This funk was affecting everything, from the economy to the climate and the crops. Haggai told the people to get up and do something. Build the temple. See what happens. We do not believe we are saved by works. Yet there's no question that it's hard for us to believe while lying on our backs and moping. We ...

34. Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!

Exodus 1:1-22, 2:1-10

Sermon

... to come out of hiding. Dr. Ervin Staub, a teacher at the University of Massachusetts who studies people who reach out and help others who are going through terrible times, says, "One person can greatly influence others by action or passivity" and so it is important to "create a climate where passivity is not okay and where bystanders are also evil."5 There's a burning bush out there that's telling us to get over our fears. The flame convicts us to be who God made us to be: to speak up, to reach out, to cry ...

35. Epiphany Of Our Lord

Mt 2:1-12 · Eph 3:1-12 · Is 60:1-6, 9 · Ps 72

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... congregation would examine its community life to discover those barriers to equal access under the gospel? The building could itself be a barrier. Is the facility attractive, available to all? Is the worship space cheery and inviting? What about the congregational climate? When a new person comes to worship is he/she made to feel welcome? Do worshippers feel comfortable in being themselves or must they conform to certain outward standards of style and dress? Most importantly, does every person who passes ...

36. Lent 3

John 4:1-26, Exodus 17:1-7, Romans 5:1-11, John 4:27-38, John 4:39-42, Isaiah 42:18-25

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... under the sentence of God's condemnation. Through God's grace in Jesus we are set free from fear and condemnation. If we accept the grace, peace begins to flower in our hearts. Gospel: John 4:5-42 Breaking the ice. Even though Israel possesses a mild climate, the relationship between Jews and Samaritans was extremely frigid. Jesus attempts to break the ice as he is resting by Jacob's well. It is about noon and it is rather unusual that anyone is coming to draw at that hour. This indicates that the woman was ...

37. Easter Day

John 20:10-18, John 20:1-9, Colossians 3:1-17, Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... would rise from the grave after three days? Were they merely curious? On entering the tomb, they observed that the grave clothes had been left behind. If his body had been stolen, why were the burial clothes not taken with the body? Yet their response is rather anti-climatic; they merely went back home. Is that the way Easter is for us? Temporary excitement? A mad dash to the empty tomb and to a full church? Yet we don't linger long enough to encounter the risen Lord. Mary Magdalene wasn't going to go back ...

38. Moses' New Job

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... . You and yoursisters had to come and find me several times because I hadforgotten to drink water and would eventually wander incircles, babbling out of my mind. It would only take a dayor so in the heat of the Midian desert pastures. I wasn'tused to the climate. Well, three months ago, when I was with the sheep, Ibegan to feel like the hallucinations were starting again.But I had been very careful about the water. Yet, I saw theburning bush. I told you about that at the time. I couldn't believemy eyes. But ...

39. The Babel Disaster - You Are There

Genesis 11:1-9

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... of our achievement. This has to be an act of God. There must have been an earthquake. Perhaps there was a fault undiscovered in the ground. The temple was 297 feet high. It covered four city blocks. The first level was 150 feet high. In this hot climate, the high ceiling would provide a real cooling effect. There were six temples, each 20 to 30 feet high, placed on top of each other, the upper ones being smaller than the lower ones. The building looked like it was terraced. Because of the great height of ...

40. Repentance: A New Relationship

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

... with a motto that starts with the word REPENT in capital letters, then leads into a comic punch line. Certainly, a scolding approach to the faith these days fails to work for many of us. Yet, if there isn't a fundamental change in the moral climate of our nation in the near future, there's reason to believe tragedy lies ahead for us. Isn't that what Ash Wednesday is all about? An honest inward examination with a willingness to search our hearts with unaccustomed honesty? The process of repentance begins ...

41. Wonderful Story

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

... that of Adoniram Judson, a Baptist missionary to Burma in the eighteenth century. Very few people have suffered as that man did in the effort to take this saving word to others. His wife and children died, one by one, from the merciless climate. Judson was imprisoned and tortured. For many years he labored in a hostile religious environment as the Buddhist leaders looked at Judson, first with suspicion, then hostility. Any Burmese person who showed an interest in the Christian faith was dealt with harshly ...

42. Double Image

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

William G. Carter

... to think. At best we help them clarify what is already on their minds." For the last thirty years, many people have reacted against the kind of authoritarianism that squelches freedom and denies diversity. Yet as we approach a new century, the moral climate has changed. Pastors increasingly hear people admit that they are not sure what they believe. Life in the '90s is perplexing and ambiguous. People want guidance. They ask for direction. As one frustrated woman said to her support group, "Don't just sit ...

43. Shouting At A Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

William G. Carter

... really nervous. "Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" We know about the storms, don't we? Not just the little storms inside us, but the furious, full-scale storms out there. Even in a temperature-adjusted, climate-controlled world, there are bursts of fury within the natural world. Earthquakes shake human confidence. Rivers swell beyond their banks. Wind smashes our windows. Creation seems strangely indifferent to creature needs and comforts. A storm can explode with rage, and remind us ...

44. Moses's New Job

Exodus 4:18-31

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... your sisters had to come and find me several times because I had forgotten to drink water and would eventually wander in circles, babbling out of my mind. It would only take a day or so in the heat of the Midian desert pastures. I wasn't used to the climate. Well, three months ago, when I was with the sheep, I began to feel like the hallucinations were starting again. But I had been very careful about the water. Yet, I saw the burning bush. I told you about that at the time. I couldn't believe my eyes. But ...

45. What Ever Happened to Wisdom?

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... good is to be in the image of God. An illustration of how doing so much good can crowd out evil comes from the life of Robert Louis Stevenson. This nineteenth-century author of Treasure Island could not continue to live in England because its damp, cool climate was bad for his health. So he took his family to live in a house on a hill on the beautiful South Pacific island of Samoa. At the foot of the hill two villages of Samoans were constantly at war. They believed that hurricanes happened because angry ...

46. Walking Through A Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... Peace. Be still." And, writes Mark, "there was a great calm." In our modern, scientific way of thinking, we do not easily understand all this. Storms upon seas are caused by wind currents, temperature differences and open spaces. A recent news article told of this climatic possibility on the Sea of Galilee, triggered by the winds coming off of Mount Hermon and moving down upon the waters. Storms just are not controlled by someone's shout off the back end of a boat. But that is the recounting that Mark gives ...

47. Stilling The Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... the wall of a carnival ride. When we feed the souls of our people, they become buoyant with new life. They stay afloat. Waves too great for them to meet do not overcome them. KEY WORDS Stormy Weather: The people of Palestine believed geography, climate, and society all interact; God made them all and God planned for them all. In Palestine, winter is the season of rain and stormy weather. November becomes an intense rain time. Drought is common with sometimes only half the normal average rainfall. Unlike ...

48. Proper 17

James 1:19-27, Song of Songs 2:1-17, Mark 7:1-23

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... greener and our senses are in resonance with the light of life. What our hearts told us all along is now being confirmed by science. It is no secret that more people become depressed in the winter, if you live in a more northerly climate. However, researchers are now onto the source of this condition. It is a result of light deprivation. They call it SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder; they tell us that these people respond positively to light therapy. If those depressed with this condition are exposed to ...

49. Proper 8

2 Corinthians 8:1-15, 2 Samuel 1:17-27, Mark 5:21-43

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... , since the child was not dead but only sleeping (v. 39). They reacted with derisive laughter. Jesus sent the unbelieving mob away and went in to the girl with her parents and his closest disciples. For him to do a miracle there needed to be a climate of faith. Almost all of the Lord's healings were faith healings. SERMON POSSIBILITIES Old Testament: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 1. Sermon Title: The Cry Of Mortality. Sermon Angle: David lamented over and over again, "How the mighty have fallen!" He was, of course ...

50. A Woman Of Substance · Mary Magdalene

Lk 8:1-3

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... Valley of Doves. In fact, such was Magdala's commerce, as Alfred Edersheim points out, that the city was one of three which forwarded their taxes to Jerusalem by wagon. These were not the only resources, however, offering Mary Magdalene a favorable climate for any enterprise she may have undertaken. Magdala was located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Accordingly, it was but a Sabbath day's journey -- roughly three miles -- from Tiberius, whose amphitheaters and public baths made it a veritable ...

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