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 551 to 575 of 3285 results

551. Hunger and Politics

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... and find our self-made destinies. Only if God would hold back a sense of full satisfaction from our souls would we search our way back home. This remains a perennial theological paradox: It is the creative act of God that gives us freedom. Yet, when we use our abilities for our own ends we tend to lose what is best in ourselves and often demean it in others, and push like adolescents away from our spiritual parent. Only if we become restless to find the face of God in some longing for home will we regain a ...

552. Aprons or Bibs

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Sermon

Tony Everett

... to arrive at the edge of the land God had chosen for them. God kept his covenantal promise to them often in spite of them. God had already made the crucial choice of life and blessings for them. Because God had chosen them, God gave them the ability to choose life and the clear directions for living as God's people. And, with those directions, God intended for them to be ready to exchange their grazing bibs for serving aprons. In Jesus Christ, God has continued to choose us as his own children. In Christ ...

553. Breakdowns and Breakthroughs

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... as we go through life we encounter new situations and gain new information. Thus it is important that we process these things in ways that are faithful to our Christian commitments without acting as though God has nothing further to say to us. The ability of the rational part of our minds to move us along, then, becomes a tool of our religious and spiritual growth. In that regard, the scriptures themselves give us two excellent examples. The first is this strange story from Genesis about God telling Abraham ...

554. The Way Things Are

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... to get in there and just throw a blob of clay or get our hands in the paint, we don't confuse that with real artistic ability; nor do we mistake a child's plunking on a piano with skilled jazz improvisation. One of the things I love about Paul's letters is ... we created a new kind of "wisdom" of practicality and a different kind of "sign" of instant gratification that impairs our ability to deal with the intensely theological "word of the cross"? After all this meandering around, it looks like Paul is going ...

555. All About Me?

Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-31

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... human actions come in, those dreaded Ten Commandments. Some wag has summarized the attitude so many of us have toward the commandments: We wish they were like a multiple choice essay exam — choose any three out of ten. But is that what these are all about, our ability to keep a set of odious requirements? If that is the case, then why have the rabbis always referred to the law as God's greatest gift to humankind? In the prologue to the commandments (i.e. the part we never read), Moses receives these words ...

556. Pentecost ... Again!

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... of the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit who called, gathered, and enlightened you with the bright idea to come to church today. When that happens, it is Pentecost ... again. I found his words comforting because whether people come to church or not is not dependent upon my ability to entice them. It's not up to me to push the right buttons, to say the right words, and to create the right appearance. It is not about me getting the credit when they come or the guilt when they don't. No, my job is simply to ...

557. Legacies of Power

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... difficult to define because it comes in so many different shapes and sizes. The very word power elicits different emotional responses in each of us. How we respond to power depends on who happens to have the power, as well as how it is used. Power includes the ability to influence, to choose, to help, and to change. Each one of us has some type of power, at least in some places or under some circumstances. Power also comes in the form of power over another, which may be that of an employer over an employee ...

558. The True Marks of Success

Luke 14:1-14

Illustration

R. Robert Cueni

A hundred years ago, Ralph Waldo Emerson noted three qualities he deemed marks of true "success": the ability to discern and appreciate beauty, the ability to see the best in others, and a commitment to leaving the world a better place. Notice that Emerson does not say that success comes in having the best seat at the table, acquiring more material possessions, or in belonging to the best clubs. Emerson contends that success comes with ...

559. David And The Giant

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Children's Sermon

Marti Kramer Suddarth

... knew that God would protect him and help him kill Goliath. If David knew God would protect him, why did he gather five stones? Some people think that maybe David gathered five stones in case he missed the first time, that maybe he wasn’t quite confident in God’s ability to protect him, but that isn’t why. You see, David knew that there were four more giants! You can read about them in 2 Samuel 21:15-20 and 1 Chronicles 20:4-7. (Flip the card stock over to the other side.) The Bible calls one of them ...

560. WWF: Smack Down In The Wilderness

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... envious person. Gluttony: the craving and desire to consume more than is needed or required. It's pulling the stool up to the buffet and eating because it's there and you want to get as much as you can. Pride: the excessive belief in one's own abilities that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity. (2) What we need to realize is that those demons don't just happen. They don't just suddenly show ...

561. License to Steal

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... life, nothing more than our 21st century version of the 1st century Pharisee’s prayer in this week’s gospel text? We might not boast about how often we fast, or how much we tithe. But in our hearts we carry the same pride about our ability to shape our world and protect our investments. We don’t trust anyone except ourselves to be in charge of our lives. Our actions, our attitudes, our works and worries — those are what bring us to a place of safety, security, and spiritual peace. Self-sufficiency ...

562. Endurance

Illustration

Mickey Anders

... burned." The brave little boy didn't want to die. Glenn made up his mind he would survive but he was doomed to be a cripple all his life and never walk. The little boy managed to gain strength, although from the waist down he had no motor ability. It seemed hopeless. Ultimately the boy was released from the hospital. Every day his mother would massage his legs, but there was no feeling. One day his mother wheeled him out into the yard. It was a sunny day. Instead of sitting there, the boy threw himself from ...

563. Luke 23:33-43

Luke 23:26-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... out by the two criminals hanging on either side of Jesus. One of the criminals sides with the religious and political leaders, taunting and deriding Jesus. Like the religious leaders this crucified criminal assumes that the “messiah” will be recognized by his ability to “save” or liberate himself and his people. The other criminal refuses to join in the rejection of Jesus. Instead he offers the fourth declaration of Jesus’ innocence (see Luke 23:14,15,22): “this man has done nothing wrong” (v ...

564. 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... who embrace the “wisdom” of the world. Those who abandon human “sophia” as their source of power and insight and through faith find the power of God in the cross are “being saved.” Those who continue to put their faith in human abilities, in human conduct and human comprehension continue to find nothing but “foolishness” in the cross and thus find themselves among the “perishing,” cut off from God’s power and the divine gift of abundant life. In short, this morning’s pericope may ...

565. To Jesus from the Pharisaic Management Consultants

John 9:1-41

Illustration

Ray Osborne

... Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings and they both registered a high score on the manic depressive scale. "One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind and contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your comptroller and right-hand man. All of the other profiles are self ...

566. A Difficult Day to Follow Jesus

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... love those who are not loveable. We’re called to serve without counting the cost. But the hardest commandment is the commandment to forgive. We are bidden to do it, not because it is humanly possible, but because as we try to do what God commands us to do, the ability to do it is given to us by the God of Grace.” A man who has shown us the capacity to forgive is Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Pastor Tony Campolo has a friend who knows Mandela quite well. One day this friend asked Mandela about his ...

567. Recognizing the Lord

Isaiah 60:1-6

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... today, the Epiphany of our Lord. Jesus was born in an obscure town in a stable and placed initially after his birth in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. He, like Jim Thorpe, was unknown. Yet, through the appearance of the star and its ability to guide others to his location, the three magi recognized Jesus as Lord and king. Today's first lesson from the prophet Isaiah speaks of how Israel will once again be recognized by God. This recognition will be complemented by acknowledgment from people outside ...

568. Baptism: The Light Shatters the Darkness

Genesis 1:1-5

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . As the prologue of Saint John's gospel says, "What has come into being in him was life and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it" (John 1:3b-5). Inspired by the ability of Winston Churchill to bring Great Britain from darkness to light in the midst of a terrible world war, let us celebrate Jesus' baptism by remembering the privileges and responsibilities that our own baptism brought us. Let us bring the light of Christ to all we meet ...

569. Rally the Troops

Illustration

J.O. Sanders

... influence. Dr. John R. Mott, a world leader in student circles, gave as his definition: "A leader is a man who knows the road, who can keep ahead, and who can pull others after him." President Truman's definition is: "A leader is a person who has the ability to get others to do what they don't want to do, and like it." Lord Montgomery defines it in these terms: "Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose, and the character which inspires confidence." I like that: The ...

570. Spiritual Teaching Gifts

Illustration

Dr. Earl Radmacher

... spirit-source behind any person's speech or act. Evangelism: Communicating the gospel with power and persuasiveness as well as equipping the saints for evangelism. Leadership Gifts. Leadership (executive ability): Standing before people and inspiring followers by leading them aggressively but with care. Administration (legislative ability): Standing behind people to collect data, set policy, and develop plans which will guide a course of action with wisdom. Faith: Seeing through any problem to the Ultimate ...

571. Matthew 25:14-30

Matthew 25:14-30

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... with a huge amount of money. Each is trusted with a true fortune. Although the master gives each of the three servants different amounts “according to his abilities,” we should not confuse the monetary “talents” being doled out here with some sort of accounting of human “talent” or skill. The master knows his servants, assesses their abilities, and does not overload any one of them with unreasonable expectations. Still, each one of them is given charge over a vast amount of money. The details ...

572. A Weapon of Love

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Joel D. Kline

... week, spoke with some frequency during his years of ministry of putting on the "weapon of love." Responding to those who resisted the emerging civil rights movement, King asserted, "We will counter your force with soul force, we will match your ability to hate with our ability to love." And King reminded us that at the heart of Jesus' life and message is the call to be peacemakers and reconcilers. Violence, said King again and again, "never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problems; it merely ...

573. Let Your Diamond-Light Shine

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , so Paul admits that to some who are not open to the new presence of God in their midst the message and truth of Jesus’ true divinity might seem “veiled.” In 2 Corinthians 3: 13-16, Paul recalled how a “veil” (“kalumma”) befogged Israel’s ability to see the glory of God that Moses presented to the people. In this text Paul asserts that likewise the gospel, the “glory of Christ who is the image of God” (v.4), is “veiled” to those who are “blinded” by unbelief, by those who are ...

574. The 4 Spiritual Flaws

John 6:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... can wait for things to be better "bye-and-bye-in-the-sky." No. The feeding of the five thousand flies in the face of such "wait til heaven" ideologies. Faced with a crowd that had tracked him down because of his miracle-working abilities, Jesus is first and foremost concerned with . . . getting them something to eat. Not impressing them with his feats of power. Not show-casing show-stopping miraculous healings. Not convincing anyone in the crowd of anything. Jesus was concerned for their shrunken bellies as ...

575. The Ashes of Our Lives

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... packers, and, of course, his hookers. When he set up his own office space, it was in a small room in the back. What had enabled his fishing lure manufacturing business to grow? Ed's love of fishing, his desire to satisfy customers, commitment to his product, and his ability to promote it, and a fire! That's right, I said a fire. One night the furniture store two blocks away caught fire. As the flames jumped from building to building, Ed stood on top of the shop hosing its roof down. All he could see was his ...

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