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 701 to 725 of 1065 results

701. Love Over Logic

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Carl Jech

Those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No. (Luke 13:4-5a) Reward and punishment! A basic fact of life! In San Francisco there is a chain of pastry stores called "Just Desserts" - a clever name with more than one level of meaning. "You've been good. Treat yourself! You deserve a reward." But many of us would also think: "Too many of these rewards and my just desserts will be obesity and ...

702. God is About to Strike

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

A brilliant light flashes. It strikes like lightning. Paul is shocked by a charge from heaven, and he is knocked from his horse. A voice vibrates about Paul which holds his attention in a vice-like grip. Paul is converted. The persecutor becomes the preacher. The surprising element of this event is the realization that the conversion of Paul was the conversion of a radically religious person. Paul was the best of believers. Paul was a master of morality. He lived out every letter of the law. He was a ...

703. The Mystery of God's Mercy

Acts 13:13-52

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

Have you ever hurt someone, or have you ever insulted someone without knowing it? Have you ever offended a friend, or slighted a spouse? Of course you have. All of us have. And, when we find out what hurt or harm our actions have caused, we say, "I didn't understand. I didn't know." We are sorry. We regret it; but, it is too late. A revealing scar is left. It is like driving a nail into a piece of lumber. You make a mistake. That is not exactly where you wanted it. So, you take the claw-end of a hammer, ...

704. God, The Enemy

Luke 12:1-12

Sermon

This week began with the execution of Timothy McVeigh, the man responsible for the worst act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. A USA Today poll taken in April of this year showed that 81 percent of Americans wanted McVeigh to be executed -- and 28 percent of that support was from people who are normally against the death penalty. No matter where you stand on the issue of capital punishment, this particular execution has forced itself on our consciousness. One thing that particularly caught my ...

705. I Voted for God

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

The Gospel for today begins with these words of Jesus: Now great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them, "If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Is that what it means to be a Christian? That we should hate the members of our own family? We must make allowances here not only for the circumstances, but also for the fact that Eastern language is sharp and vivid ...

706. A Crippling Spirit

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Brett Blair

I want to encourage you to do something. If you have never read Victor Hugo’s memorable novel the “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” pick up a copy and read it. Hugo uses an interesting literary technique in the story. The reader is allowed to see the basic decency and humanity of Quasimodo, the hunchback, while the crowd sees him only as a monstrous freak. The story, in its essence, is part tragedy, and part hope. Our text this morning, not surprisingly, comes from Luke’s Gospel. This story also, is part tragedy ...

707. The God Who Doesn’t Give Up

Hosea 11:1-11

Sermon

"How can I give you up, O Ephraim!" (v. 8) Prayer: Dear Father, we cannot fool you or pretend to be something we’re not; you know us too well. Open our minds and our understanding to know you as best we can, and to grow in appreciation of your great mercy. Amen "I’ve given him a chance three times now. Three times he let me down. I’m not going to be generous any more. I’ve had it. I don’t want to get burned again." This was Douglas, a man usually willing to go the second mile. He was known for his good ...

708. Advent 2

Malachi 2:17--3:5, Philippians 1:1-11, Luke 3:1-20

Sermon Aid

COMMENTARY Malachi 3:1-4 (C, L) Yahweh promises to send his messenger to prepare the way for his coming. The messenger is the center of this pericope. Malachi means "my messenger." (v. 1) The book was written by an unknown prophet who considered himself the messenger to prepare the way for Yahweh's coming to the rebuilt temple after the return of the Exiles from Babylon. When Yahweh comes, he, like a refiner's fire, will cleanse the Levitical priesthood and their sacrifices. Christians interpret this ...

709. Proper 23

Lk 17:11-19 · 2 Tim 2:8-15 · 2 Ki 5:14-17 · Mic 1:2, 2:1-10 · Ru 1:1-19a

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Micah 1:2, 2:1-10 The people's wickedness is described in spite of Yahweh's work. Through Micah Yahweh summons his people to judgment. Micah was a prophet to Judah during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (740-690 BC). In 721 Sargon II, king of Assyria, captured Samaria and Israel as a nation was in ruins. Micah is sure the same fate awaited Judah because of similar sins. Micah lived in a small town among poor country people. As a spokesman for Yahweh, he was the champion of the poor who ...

710. A House for God

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

Gary W. Houston

I remember as a small boy sitting in a small country church with seats in auditorium style that you flipped up when you got out. Outside the window, where I sat, some wasps were buzzing around in the sunshine. From time to time one would fly in, then back out the window. People were fanning themselves with fans donated by a local funeral home; they had pictures of Jesus on them. My dad was preaching and he spoke of two houses, one built on sand and one built on rock. I could not understand why anyone, even ...

711. Jesus’ Hospital

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

Our Holy Gospel for today says that "as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ And he arose and followed Him." Now that’s what we call a response to a call don’t we? Jesus said: "Follow Me." Matthew got up and followed him. The problem with many of us is that we haven’t even gotten up yet, much less are we following Jesus. Jesus Christ empowers us to come follow him, but we have to get up and start moving as Matthew did so many ...

712. Bound for Glory

1 Samuel 25:1-44

Sermon

Beauty and the Beast. The beastly brute is Nabal. A grumpy geezer. A gentleman farmer whose grasp for gold was only exceeded by his grasp for Mogen David. His eyes gazed over the greenly robed spring fields as he saw his herds of sheep gently grazing. His ears heard the bleat of sheep as nine pounds of wool was removed from their fat lamb shoulders. His nose caught the fragrant smell of rich foods placed on his teeming table by servants forced to work for a Simon Legree whip-cracking master. A few miles ...

713. Palm Sunday

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Purple/Red Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11; Matthew 26:14-27, 66 Theme: Jesus' triumphal entry - Jesus' betrayal and sharing of the communion. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor did this: "Here he comes! Let's make him welcome! Enter into the Mardi Gras spirit! Laugh and dance and sing and rejoice! Our King is coming! Then, as the choir and children enter during the singing of the hymn of triumphal entry, have them wave palm branches and intermingle with the congregation. At the ...

714. Trinity Sunday

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: White Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20 Theme: Trinity Sunday, emphasizes both our receiving and sharing the Good News. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor began this way: "How did we come to worship today? Did we come feeling sad because we lost a relationship recently, feeling angry because someone dragged us here, feeling frightened because of what's happening around us and to us, feeling joy and wanting to share it with our friends? Did we come out of habit, to learn something, ...

715. As Good As God

Leviticus 19:1-37

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

The Lord said to Moses, "Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy. You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go up and down as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand forth against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor ...

716. A Book Which Reads Us

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Robert Bachelder

Hans-Ruedi Weber relates a story which is often told in East Africa. A simple woman always walked around with her bulky Bible. She never was parted from it. So the villagers began to tease her: "Why always the Bible?" they asked. "There are so many other books you could read." Yet the woman kept on living with her Bible, neither disturbed nor angered by all the teasing. But finally one day, she knelt down in the midst of those who laughed at her. She held up the Bible, high above her head, and said with a ...

717. Jeopardy, by Jeremiah

Jeremiah 23:9-32

Sermon

Richard F. Bansemer

The sermon is based on the words of the prophet Jeremiah as recorded in the 23rd chapter, beginning with the 19th verse, in the book by his name: "Behold, the storm of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his mind. In the latter days you will understand it clearly." What can we do with an angry God? Occasionally on Sunday one of the many "angry God" ...

718. Journey to the Cross I: Jesus And The Demon-Possessed Man

Mark 5:1-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

The noted author, John Killinger, tells a powerful story about a man who is all-alone in a hotel room in Canada. The man is in a state of deep depression. He is so depressed that he can’t even bring himself to go downstairs to the restaurant to eat. He is a powerful man usually the chairman of a large shipping company… but at this moment, he is absolutely overwhelmed by the pressures and demands of life… and he lies there on a lonely hotel bed far from home wallowing in self-pity. All of his life, he has ...

719. Journey To The Cross II: Jesus And The Hemorrhaging Woman

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

James W. Moore

One of my favorite authors today is a professor at Loyola University in Chicago. His name is Father John Powell. In addition to being a best-selling writer, he is also a highly popular lecturer, teacher, and counselor. In his book entitled Through The Eyes of Faith, he tells about his prison ministry. About once a month, he visits a prisoner in the state penitentiary. He describes how difficult that is for him personally… the atmosphere is dismal, dark, depressing… and charged with suspicion. However, on ...

720. Are You Under Arrest?

Heb 5:11-13; 10:39

Sermon

Robert Noblett

It was a Saturday morning and I recall it all well. I was at my grandmother’s house when a call came from my mother that there was a policeman who wanted to see me at home. I could hardly believe what she was relating! I couldn’t imagine why a policeman would want to see me. Home I went and there sitting in a chair in the living room was a great big hulk of a sargeant! I still remember his opening greeting - "Hello, Bob!" It seemed that a woman two doors down the street had sent a letter to the Rochester ...

721. The Witch of Endor

1 Samuel 28:1-25

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

We have been thrilled and enchanted by the weird conversation of the three sisters on the gloomy heath in ancient Scotland: When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightening, or in rain? When the hurlyburly’s done, When the battle’s lost and won, That will be ere the set of sun. Where the place? Upon the heath There to meet with Macbeth.1 Later in the play we have the incantation and recipe for the brew which will cast a spell over the Scottish Thane: Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and ...

722. Embalmed With Cardiac Arrest

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

I always wonder what an agnostic or an unbeliever or a skeptic does on Easter Day. Have you ever wondered that? Out of curiosity, let’s join two of them on the first Easter day. For them, the story was all over, the last curtain was rung down. Their hopes lay shattered. Their dreams lay twisted and ruined. Easter Day found them on the way back home to Emmaus, back to the old home town, about seven miles from Jerusalem, back to the workaday world, back to the dull, monotonous business of eking out an ...

723. Paul: The Man and His Message

Romans 9:1-29

Sermon Aid

T. A. Kantonen

Hans Lietzmann, noted New Testament scholar, once remarked that no one has correctly understood Jesus except Paul and no one has correctly understood Paul. The attempts to understand Paul are legion. The literature on him is immense and the interpretations of his thought are varied. To Bultmann he is "the founder of Christian theology," while to Morton Enslin he is not a theologian at all but simply a "practical and forthright man" who taught new life in Christ but had little regard for logical consistency ...

724. Paul Today

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon Aid

T. A. Kantonen

The task that remains is to summarize our study of Paul’s theology and to make a specific application of it to the present day. Our point of view has been to regard Paul as the foremost theologian of the early church, the supreme interpreter of Jesus and his gospel to the world of his day. He was not, as liberals at the beginning of the present century thought, the second founder of Christianity who introduced dogma and mysticism to transform Jesus’ simple message of the fatherhood of God and the ...

725. Signs Of A Vital Church

2 Corinthians 2:12--3:6, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

A few years ago First United Methodist Church in Abilene, Texas, bought a new sign or marquee. The message on the sign could be changed each week. The purpose was to advertise the church to the thousands who passed by daily on a busy highway. A decision was made to let each Sunday School class be responsible for the message on the sign for one week. The Bible Class was first. Their message read: "The Church Visitors Never Feel Like Strangers." The following week the slogan was produced by a young couples ...

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