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 651 to 675 of 744 results

651. Oh, You'd Better Watch Out!

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

It always feels strange beginning Advent in November. But the stores are already decorated for Christmas, so why not? I hope the department stores won’t think we’re trying to spoil their party by injecting a little religion into this busy season of the year. It reminds me of an item that appeared in USA Today last year about this time. Authorities in Bal Harbor, FL outfitted the baby Jesus in their outdoor Nativity Scene with a GPS locator as a protection against thieves. The previous Baby Jesus was stolen ...

652. No Comment

2 Kings 2:1-12a

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In situations when we come face to face with the wonder of God's love and power, our best response may be to close our mouths and open our hearts to God's magnificence and munificence. In his 1924 presidential campaign, Calvin Coolidge greeted the emotional subject of Prohibition at press conferences with a standard response: "No comment." No matter how insistent the questioning reporters, he steadfastly persisted in his "No comment." Then he would leave the room, smiling softly and adding, "Now don't ...

653. What's Your Drink?

Isaiah 43:16-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

What do we thirst for? What is our drink? Jesus offers his disciples deep drinks of "living waters." Draughts of the “Living Waters" must be our signature sip, our desired drink. Civilized behavior the world over demands that a proper host or hostess offers some sort of sustenance when welcoming visitors into their homes. Who among us doesn't feel compelled to quiz their guests, even before they get a chance to sit down, about what we might be able to get them? We might ask with enthusiasm when the coffee ...

654. The Widow's Might

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

How do you measure life? In worldly weights and measures like dollars and cents, or using spiritual scales of love, service and friendship? In our local supermarket, there are several different candy counters. A big display of all the old favorites greets you just as you turn your cart into the first aisle. At the opposite end of the store is half a wall of bulk candy big packages for big families or big sweet tooths. There are racks of typical "movie candies" at the video rental desk. Finally, there is ...

655. A Concert of Prayer

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Drama

Leonard Sweet

Christ is not and cannot be divided if the church is to stand. Yet upon that single foundation of Christ, a multitude of diverse structures may be constructed. Paul preferred the beauty and complexity of a choir to the elegance of a solo. He celebrated the diversity he saw in the churches he founded and attended, seeing their differences as potential for greater strength - not weakness. Our own preference today, however, seems to be for creating a cream-of-wheat church. Smooth, bland, tasteless and benign ...

656. The Four R's

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The Parable of the Sower and the Seed is a basic lesson in key survival skills for the 21st century: Roots, Rituals, Relationships, Realities. In the so-called 'good old days' wherever and whenever those were public schools used to boast that they taught the '3-Rs' 'reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic all to the tune of a hickory stick.' In the West Virginia holler from whence my family hails, there were '4-R's' taught reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic and the road to Roanoke (That is the fastest way out of West ...

657. Fifty-Fourth and Lexington

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

There is no song so broken, no monotone so horrible, no voice so tremulous, that God can't take it and compose it into a beautiful symphony. Have you ever played the game "Gossip" or "Rumors"? After gathering everyone into a circle, one person begins by whispering some message to a neighbor softly and quietly. The neighbor must then pass along that whispered message (or at least the version he or she heard of it). Everyone gets only one chance to hear what is said before telling it to the next one in the ...

658. Fingerprints of the Soul

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Unlike "fingerprints," which everyone is born with, we die with soulprints. How deep those soulprints go depends on the depth of our moral character and virtue. Do you know who your patron saint is? Maybe you didn't even know that you were born on the "feast day" of Saint Somebody-or-other. "Feast Day" refers to the death date, not the birth date, of a designated saint. Death dates, rather than birthdays, were celebrated as "feast days" because it was assumed that the saint's birthday into eternity was on ...

659. Mark 6:30-44

Mark 6:30-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Of all Jesus' miracles, only this feeding of the 5000 is recorded in all four gospels. Obviously this story, and the complementary feeding of the 4000 (found in two gospels), were favorites of the early church. Perhaps part of the reason for their popularity is that the feeding miracles communicate on so many different levels. If we focus on Jesus we see the image of a compassionate good shepherd. Shift our gaze to the disciples and the text becomes yet another example of their failure to understand Jesus ...

660. Mark 6:30-44

Mark 6:30-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

661. Luke 3:7-18

Luke 3:7-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

It is a prophetic voice with authority that rings out in today's gospel text. John the Baptist, having only just begun to practice his "call" from God, wastes no time in getting to the rotten heart of the actions and attitudes that run throughout the crowds gathering to hear him preach. In fact, it seems odd that Luke and Matthew depict John the Baptist uttering such harsh invectives to a crowd that has voluntarily gathered to receive his "baptism of repentance" (Luke 3:7b-9, Matthew 3:7b-10). Wouldn't ...

662. Ordinary and Humble Princes

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

Most everybody has a soft spot in their hearts for fairy tales. There is just something about a fairy tale's reversal of expectations that intrigues us. There is something delicious about finding out that the frog is really a handsome prince, that the ugly duckling is the one that grows into the most resplendent of all swans. We enjoy it when the moment of truth comes for the characters in a story as they discover that the scruffy-looking character they never quite trusted is actually the true king of the ...

663. Was It Really Necessary?

John 19:17-27

Sermon

King Duncan

A woman was getting swamped with calls from strangers. The reason? A medical billing service had launched an 800 number that was identical to hers. When she called to complain, she was told to get a new number. “I’ve had my number for twenty years,” she pleaded. “Couldn’t you change yours?” The company refused, so the woman said, “Fine. From now on, I’m going to tell everyone who calls that their bill is paid in full.” The company got a new number the next day. This is the day on the church calendar when ...

664. You Must Start Over!

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Mike Ripski

I. A personal confession My first appointment was as the Associate Pastor of Grace UMC in the Graceland area of south Memphis. It was 1975. Racial transition had begun in that part of the city. Overnight young adult Sunday school classes moved east. Older adult classes moved to Mississippi. People of a different race and culture moved in. Grace Church’s future depended on its reaching out to its new neighbors. The community had changed. Could the church change too? Things have changed since Belle Meade UMC ...

665. We Plow the Fields

Mark 4:26-34

Illustration

Matthias Claudius

In 1782, Matthias Claudius wrote the following poem that later became a hymn and a moving song in the movie Godspell: We plow the fields, and scatter The good seed on the land, But it is fed and watered By God's almighty hand; He sends the snow in winter, The warmth to swell the grain, The breezes and the sunshine, And soft refreshing rain. All good gifts around us Are sent from heav'n above; Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord For all His Love. We thank Thee then, O Father, For all things bright and ...

666. It’s for Sinners

John 6:24-25

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

It was a Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter. The Church was having the traditional communion service. This time the pastor suggested that they serve one another. He also suggested that as they pass the bread and cup they whisper, "The body of Christ, broken for you. The blood of Christ, shed for you." As the service progressed, one man concentrated on remembering the pastor's words, and thought it would be nice to do this more often. Between him and the aisle was an older woman, not nearly so ...

667. Close Up: Husbands - Be a Dream Lover

Colossians 3:19

Sermon

James Merritt

If there is one area in my life where I see so many failures and feel so many frustrations it is in my dual role as a husband and as a father. I see so many expectations that Teresa has for me and the boys have for me and that my churches have had for me and I have even had for myself that I didn't always meet. Quite frankly, for good reason, because I couldn't meet all of their expectations and the truth is - neither can you. Men, many of you can too closely relate to the man in that video. Most of us at ...

668. All Is New in Christ

John 11:4-6, Philippians 3:4-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Running as fast as his feet would carry him, Androclus raced into the forest. He hoped he could survive there, finding roots and berries to eat and avoiding all wild animals. He had few other choices; people were always looking for runaway slaves. He wondered, however, how it would be to live in terror of being discovered. Every pine cone that fell onto the mossy surface of the forest made him jump and look around to see if soldiers were in pursuit. He needed shelter. Rain was in the air and it would soon ...

669. New Creations in Christ

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Richard Gribble

There once was a very unhappy old man. For him, things were never right and, thus, he grumbled quite a bit. He complained that he had to get up in the morning, and when nightfall came it was too soon. He complained when he had to work, but found it boring when he did not work. He talked about how people paid insufficient attention to him, yet when others spoke to him he seemed annoyed or irritated. He hated it when it rained and found the sun too hot when it shined. In winter, he longed for the summer and ...

670. The Smell of Bread

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Sermon

Stan Purdum

One of the most popular television shows ever was M*A*S*H, which ran for eleven seasons, from 1972-1983. If you didn't see it when it was originally on network television, you've probably seen it in reruns on cable stations. The show was about life in a mobile Army surgical hospital during the Korean War, and the reoccurring characters included the surgeons. One of those surgeons, named Charles Emerson Winchester III, was a pompous, upper-class doctor from Boston who had been drafted into the medical corps ...

671. Blessed Are They Who Find Christmas

teLuke 3:7-18

Illustration

James Garrett

Blessed are they who find Christmas in the age-old story of a babe born in Bethlehem. To them a little child will always mean hope and promise to a troubled world. Blessed are they who find Christmas in the Christmas star. Their lives may ever reflect its beauty and light. Blessed are they who find Christmas in the joy of giving lovingly to others.They shall share the gladness and joy of the shepherds and wise men of old. Blessed are they who find Christmas in the fragrant greens, the cheerful holly and ...

672. The Word that Changed the World

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome on this first Sunday of the New Year. I won’t ask you to raise your hand if you are still keeping the resolutions you made 2 days ago. Andy Simmons, the Senior Editor for Readers Digest says that he keeps all of his New Year’s resolutions, every single one. How does he do it? Quite simple, really. After years of introspection he says he has developed a healthy understanding of what he can and cannot do. Therefore, he keeps his resolutions realistic. For example, a few years ago he resolved to gain ...

673. Hooked for Life

Luke 5:1-11

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

If fishing is one of your passions, you will love our scripture lesson for today. Though I prefer hunting to fishing, I have a soft spot in my heart for fishing because of a childhood experience. I was about 10 or 11 years old. One Wednesday afternoon Papa took me with him to a nearby pond to do a little fishing. I was just learning to use a rod and reel. Papa caught a little bass weighing about half a pound. Then he had to leave for prayer meeting. He asked me if I wanted to stay a bit longer and make a ...

674. Resurrected Obedience (Series: Living on the Resurrection Side of Life)

John 14:15-31

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. I’ve been singing those lyrics since childhood. In more recent days of adulthood, I’ve been trying to live them in the very core of my being. I. Trust Trust means to have confidence in, rely on, depend on, believe in A. In God We Trust. We inscribe those words on our money. Do we embrace these words with our lives? God has set his people free. He has placed before us all the benefits and delights of belonging to His ...

675. Discover the Surprise of Christmas

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Like that Santa, some of us have been desperately trying to grasp the allusive feeling of Christmas. The feelings we remember from younger days and simpler days. Like that Santa Ornament, determined to get those cookies, we go through all sorts of gyrations and antics trying to resurrect Christmases Past because in our memories they feel perfect and unencumbered. But the past is the past, and we're called to live in the present. But Christmas isn't really about the present (or the presents under the tree. ...

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