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 526 to 550 of 1259 results

526. Dancing with the Saints

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

As soon as toddlers learn to “toddle,” they are ready to move to music and groove to iPods. Small children don’t care if their moves are “cool.” Small children don’t care of they look sweet or silly as they dance to the sounds they’re hearing. They just dance. When do we start being self-conscious? We do we lose our innocence? Sometime in elementary school? I suspect it’s just about the time the PE curriculum declares that it is time to teach dancing to fifth or sixth graders. Whether it is learning to ...

527. The Road No One Wants to Travel

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

Some time ago, I was riding a train through central England and a man boarded at one of the stops. As he looked for a seat, he saw my face and beamed at me with great joy. "Hi, Will!" he said brightly, in a wonderful British accent. Unfortunately, I'm not Will. When he sat next to me and I opened my mouth to protest his mistaken notion of who I was, my flat American English paved the way for his embarrassment. Obviously, I was not the person he expected. Nevertheless, we got along "brilliantly," as the ...

528. A Career in The Kingdom

Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

When Sadie and Bessie, the famed "Delany Sisters," were in the early years of their second centuries (103 and 105, respectively) they told interviewers, "God only gave you one body, so you better be nice to it. Exercise, because if you don't, by the time you're our age, you'll be pushing up daisies." Fitness gymnasiums ought to put the Delany Sisters on their billboards and quote them into larger profit margins. Some people get into exercise in a very big way. When Teddy Roosevelt was president of the ...

529. A Change of Mind

Exodus 32:1-14

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

While it has been suggested that idle hands are the playthings of the devil — the same may be true of our minds. Without a clear sense of who we are and whose we are, we have the tendency to wander into some barren wilderness. Sometimes our slip is gradual, we do one small thing that is questionable and before we realize it we are in deep trouble. There are other times when it is obvious that we have strayed in a big way, and whether we like it or not, there are consequences to our actions. Without a clear ...

530. Loving Deeply (Mother's Day)

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

Sermon

King Duncan

Since today is Mother’s Day, I thought I would begin with a list someone has made which they have called “Murphy’s Laws of Parenting.” See if you can identify with any of these: The later you stay up, the earlier your child will wake up the next morning. The gooier the food, the more likely it is to end up on the carpet. The longer it takes you to make a meal, the less your child will like it. A sure way to get something done is to tell a child not to do it. For a child to become clean, something else must ...

531. It’s God’s Will?

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

Harold is 81 years old and one day after worship he came up to me and said, "There is something I want you to preach on before too long. When I was eleven years old, my mother died. The good people at the church kept on telling me it was God's will for her to die. Do you think that it was God's will to take the life of a young boy's mom? Now that I'm getting older, I plan on seeing her again, soon. Before I do, I'd like to hear what you think about God's will." That question and Paul's words in Ephesians 1 ...

532. The Great Thanksgiving

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

Patrick J. Rooney

It is not only Thanksgiving Day, but a day of thanksgiving. It is a day set apart in the life of this nation in which we offer thanks for all the blessings bestowed upon us. I was not raised in this land and therefore I am not a native here. Thanksgiving Day as a special day set apart was not something that I grew up with for the first thirty years of my life. Even though I have now lived in the United States for almost as long, I still find it strange at times to celebrate this holiday of thanksgiving. It ...

533. Commissioned for Christ

2 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Richard Gribble

On a warm and sunny early June day in 1943, John Francis Laboon, "Jake" to his friends, stood with his Naval Academy classmates on Warden Field; it was graduation day. These men were the class of 1944, but because of World War II raging in both the Pacific and European theaters, and thus need of their presence in the fleet, the class was "accelerated" one year in its training. A rough and tumble young man from the steel town of Pittsburgh, Jake had come to the academy in the summer of 1940. He excelled in ...

534. Let The Shofar Sound!

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

The school bell rings. The noonday siren sounds. The church bells call the faithful to worship. In the fifties, the wail of the sirens urged American citizenry to take cover from a potential imminent atomic attack; children took position beneath their desks and those at home headed to the bomb shelter in the basement. The book of the prophet Joel urges the trumpeter to sound the shofar, translated "trumpet," (v. 1) to warn that "... the day of the Lord is coming, it is near...." The "shofar" was usually a ...

535. Love Each Other (Mother's Day)

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

A little boy watched, fascinated, as his mother gently rubbed cold cream on her face. “Why are you rubbing cold cream on your face, mommy?” he asked. “To make myself beautiful,” said his mother. A few minutes later, she began removing the cream with a tissue. “What’s the matter?” he asked. “Are you giving up?” Welcome on this Mother’s Day. It’s not easy being a Mom. Those of you who have children know it’s not easy, regardless of their age. One Mom says that she’s going to try something different next ...

536. Advent 1

Psalm 25:1-10, Jeremiah 33;14-16, Luke 21:25-36, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Greeting It’s a new season in the life of the faith, and we are confronted again with truths about Divine Presence and the stories we have learned that pass along those truths. How does the truth of Jeremiah shape our lives in a new millennium on a different continent? What does the birth of Jesus of Nazareth have to do with us? Our minds ask these questions and our souls are moving through gestation with fresh ideas of the Eternal, of embodying truth, and seeking new understandings of abundance and ...

537. Proper 21

Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16, Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15, Luke 16:19-31, 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: Good morning, wealthy friends! You and I — we’ve brought nothing into the world and we’ll take nothing out! But we’ve gathered again to be thankful for who we are and what we have. People: We are rich in spiritual things. We are content with God’s Presence; the path we take to Holy Mystery satisfies our deepest longings. We are rich in Christ! Leader: On our paths with God, we strive to live in ways that honor God and manifest divine love so others may also be content. People: We ...

538. When We Don't Know God

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

In one of his books, writer Bruce Wilkinson reminds us of the story of the late Howard Hughes. Wilkinson says that, if there was one word that would describe Hughes’ ambition, it was the word more. “He wanted more money, so he invested his enormous inheritance and increased it in just a few years to a billion dollars. He wanted more fame, so he went to Hollywood and became a filmmaker and a star. He wanted more sensual pleasure, so he used his fabulous wealth to buy women and any form of sensual pleasure ...

539. Traveling Tables

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

On average, you and I gained six pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. That is just the “average.” Some of us gained a lot more. No wonder the past few weeks every other commercial on TV or banner-ad online is about some kind of weight loss program. We are a nation collectively cringing about our six weeks of binging and feasting. I bring you good tidings of great joy: don’t feel guilty about it. Here’s an “indulgence” for your indulging. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s we have more face to face ...

540. Pet Rocks and the Big Reveal

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

King Duncan

(Growing Strong in the Season of Lent, Palm Sunday) Does anybody remember when pet rocks became a big fad in this country? In April 1975, Gary Dahl was in a bar listening to his friends complain about their pets. This gave him the idea for the perfect “pet” -- a rock. Think about it. A rock would not need to be fed, walked, bathed, or groomed; furthermore, pet rocks would not die, become sick, or be disobedient. He said they would be perfect as pets, and joked about it with his friends. But Dahl later took ...

541. Israel Punished and Restored

Hosea 2:2-23

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

The Desire of the Lord (2:2-15): Once again the disciple who arranged chapters 1–3 has included a passage that serves as a summary of much of Hosea’s preaching (2:16–14:9). All of 2:2–15 represents genuine oracles of Hosea, but it is possible that this unit as a whole has been put together from originally independent oracles, such as 2:2–4; 2:5–7a; 2:7c–10; 2:11–13; and 2:14–15. As it now stands, however, the pericope forms a rhetorical whole. The setting for these words is a court of law, indicated by the ...

542. Jesus’s Authority to Forgive and Heal Sinners

Mark 2:1-12

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: In contrast to the crowds, the leaders begin to oppose Jesus’s ministry because he ignores the requirements of their oral tradition. Jesus, however, conducts his ministry not to satisfy rules but to bring sinners to forgiveness. His authority to forgive sins is proof of his divine sonship. Understanding the Text Jesus’s authority continues from Mark 1, but now with a polar opposite reaction: rejection rather than wonder. This begins five episodes (2:1–12, 13–17, 18–22, 23–28; 3:1–6) that center ...

543. God Has No Grandchildren

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

On a children’s TV program, the announcer asked a little boy what he wanted to do when he grew up. “I want to be an animal trainer,” said the child, loudly and clearly into the mike. “And I’ll have lots of wild lions and tigers and leopards,” he continued boldly. “And then I’ll walk into the cage…” Here he hesitated for a second, and then added softly, “but, of course, I’ll have my granddaddy with me.” Granddaddies and Grandmothers are special. Ask any boy or girl. Grandsons and granddaughters are special ...

544. Hallelujah! Come On, Get Happy

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

David G. Rogne

At the entrance to Disneyland is a sign that reads: "Disneyland — the happiest place on earth." Millions of people have come from all over the world to visit and partake of the happiness it was designed to create. Happiness is something that humans seek naturally. We are all on a pleasure hunt. We Americans even wrote the pursuit of happiness into our constitutional rights. Yet the more earnestly we pursue happiness, the more elusive it becomes. June Callwood, in her article "One Sure Way to Happiness" ( ...

545. Job's Third Reply to Eliphaz

Job 23:1--24:25

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

Taking God to Court 23:1 One can hardly call Job’s words in chapters 23 and 24 a response to Eliphaz’s third speech. Job takes no notice of his friend or his argument, but he begins instead to consider the feasibility and benefit of bringing God to court so he might hope to find just resolution to his complaint. In chapter 23 Job reflects, at first confidently but ultimately with increasing terror, on the difficulty of locating God and securing his presence for the legal proceedings. 23:2 Job says, my ...

546. The Mighty Wind of God

Acts 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

There is nothing like a major hurricane or a flurry of tornadoes to remind us how powerful wind can sometimes be. Ask survivors of Hurricane Harvey or Hurricane Irma last summer. Ask survivors of recent tornadoes in the South and Midwest. Wind is capable of an amazing amount of damage. A book titled Blame It on the Weather tells about some extraordinary events that occurred in tornadoes, especially with regard to animals. It tells about a tornado that churned through a dog boarding kennel in Michigan. ...

547. A Prayer to a Good, Good Father

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Pastor Tom Rietveld tells an interesting true story about prayer. He says that when he was pastoring in Missouri his church needed approximately $10,000 beyond what they were able to give to close out the year. And so, Pastor Rietveld asked the church family and their church leaders to pray for that amount, specifically—$10,000. Unexpectantly, a few weeks before the end of the year, a gift came in the mail. It was for several shares of stock worth $5,000. Pastor Rietveld put out the word that God had ...

548. Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Animation: a skunk (if you dare) or a stuffed animal that looks like a skunk [don’t show them what’s in the cage until they come up to see] I have here a friend I’ve brought with me today. He’s here in this cage, and I’m going to take him out for a bit. Come on up some of you. Here he is. His name is Sandy. [Take the skunk out of the cage ….make sure it’s a de-fumed one J….and hold him out to those gathered] What! You are backing away. You don’t want to hold this skunk? [Walk down the aisles with him ...

549. Fake News vs. Fantastic Good News

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

King Duncan

Early in 1761 two small earthquakes hit London, England. Soon afterwards, a rumor spread through the city that a well-known psychic had predicted a massive earthquake would occur on April 5 of that year. Gullible people were alarmed. Citizens of London began leaving the city, moving to other cities nearby or setting up camps in the outlying rural areas. And then they waited for the big one to hit. And, of course, it never did. (1) Such rumors or faulty predictions have spread in this country from time to ...

550. Our Light

Genesis 1:1-5 · Mark 1:9-11

Sermon

Will Willimon

Carl Michaelson knew a philosophy professor at Colgate who, whenever a student used the word "God" in his classroom, would stop and beckon the student to come forward and stand with him at an open window. "Show him to me," the professor asked. What a disadvantage believers have when it comes to empirical evidence for God! At first glance, this seems to be a uniquely modern problem. In the old days, Biblical people are always chatting with God, strolling arm in arm with God in the garden. God is everywhere ...

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