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 1153 results

701. Welcome or Warning?

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... wheat stalk. How to deal with these intrusive weeds is the question he faces, not whether they really exist. The farmer in this parable wisely decides that it is better to leave the weeds growing among the wheat until harvest time, rather than disturb the tender roots of the growing wheat stalks by trying to rip the weeds out of the growing field. Separation of the weeds and wheat waits until harvest time. Only then are the two different crops harvested and the weeds safely destroyed. We know weeds when we ...

702. A Bill of Rights

Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... earth. He dined with sinners and tax collectors, he welcomed the presence of the sick and despairing, he worked among the poor and the pitiful. But Jesus never let anyone get away from him without knowing right from wrong. Jesus based his tenderness in a tough-minded certainty about the presence and persistence of great wrongs and the crying need for enabling the right. One children's Sunday-school text offers this simple reminder to all wondering and wandering adults searching for some comforting clarity ...

703. On Being a Hot-Fudge-Sunday Church

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the third angle, the humanization of God. Jesus is the one who keeps both ends of the extremes in tension with each other and in tune with the universe. Jesus is the unity of opposites, "omnipotence in bonds," as someone has said: He laughs, he weeps; he is tender, he is aggressive; he has a free spirit, yet is obedient to God; one minute he walks on water, the next minute he washes his disciples' feet; be as "wise as serpents," he says, "but as innocent as doves;" one minute he is executed on a cross, the ...

704. Drawing Lines

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... warning not to step over the line. (In its original usage, "trespass" meant a sidestep, a lapse or a deviation.) The lines we draw around what is "ours" and what is others' varies from situation to situation. When people trespass against us by touching a "tender spot" where we are vulnerable to offense, even if the intrusion is accidental or ignorant or takes the form of a harmless joke, we begin to defend "our space." When the neighbor's dog does something inside our fence, we know exactly where the point ...

705. What Jesus Wants for Chrismas (Part 1)

Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... her mouth"), and to Christ's mother, revealing that Christmas may have been betrayed by the world, but must be kept alive in it. Otherwise, Patchen implies, we risk madness and destruction: They are blowing out the candles, Mary .... The world is a thing gone mad tonight. O hold him tenderly, dear Mother, For his is a kingdom in the hearts of men. (Kenneth Patchen, "I Have Lighted the Candles, Mary," Treasury of Christian Poetry, comp. Lorraine Eitel [Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1982], 54).

706. The Christmas Touch

Luke 2:29-32

Illustration

Robert L. Crouch

... strong, grew tired. He grew old gracefully. For most of his 82 years, this man touched the world by holding before it the Christ of Christmas. Jesus knows the trembling hands that hold on to him with unflinching tenacity. He recognizes his faithful follower’s tender touch. He understands that the cause for which he came into our fallen world is the cause to which this frail fellow had committed his life. Since embracing the Savior as a teenager, Bill carried in his heart a concern for all kinds of people ...

707. Preparing the Way, Preparing Our Hearts

John 1:1-18

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

... , then John was the one who was sent to prepare the way. Because God knew and John the Baptist knew: how the visit of God's Son would be received would very much depend on people's situation. If they were eager to hear the good news that God's tender mercies were available to forgive their sins, then they'd be glad to hear just that message from the lips of Jesus. But if people didn't think they had a problem with sin, then the visit of God's Son would be merely annoying and a waste of their ...

708. John 20:1-18

John 20:1-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... gospels are interested in the details that surrounded this miraculous event, each adding their own personal touches to the story to make it come alive for new readers. In John, the fragile emotional state of Jesus' followers is used to give a tender poignancy to the narrative. John begins by bringing a grieving Mary Magdalene to the tomb even before daylight has returned. Although John mentions only Mary specifically, her later words indicate that, as in the other gospels, she was accompanied by other women ...

709. Mark 6:30-44

Mark 6:30-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... their missions demanded that he postpone their retreat. Mark's description of Jesus' motivation, "because they were like sheep without a shepherd," is probably a phrase that circulated independently. He inserts it here into this miracle story to emphasize the tender compassion that guides Jesus' actions. "The Good Shepherd" first tends his newly gathered flock, not with food but with words of life. Jesus' compassion is for their aimless spiritual wandering, and it is to alleviate this ennui that he begins ...

710. Philippians 4:49

Philippians 4:49

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of joy," for it focuses on deliverance and redemption and their corresponding joyfulness. The song begins with military images and metaphors describing a God of strength and power. But even as Paul had advised gentleness and magnanimity, so too here Zephaniah portrays a tender God who "will rejoice over you with gladness" and "renew you in his love." God the fearful warrior will now break into loud exuberant song (vs. 17), celebrating the renewed life of the redeemed. God's mercy extends to those who are ...

711. Isaiah 43:16-21

Isaiah 43:16-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... declares that it flows there in order to "give drink to my chosen people." Modern homes with indoor plumbing always have water available - yet a young child, too small to reach the sink, is still completely dependent on a parent to get a drink. The same tenderness is implied in Isaiah’s image - the mighty creator God who makes whole rivers race through the land will still stoop to hold a cup to the thirsty lips of the children God “formed for myself." Once that thirst is quenched, however, v.21 reminds ...

712. Isaiah 11:1-10

Isaiah 11:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the holy seed that had been described in Isaiah 6:13, is foretold. Assyria will fall - just as surely as some massive forest giant whose apparent strength is betrayed by a rotten heart. Out of the deep, thick humus of human faith and suffering, the tender new growth of Jesse's lineage will shoot forth. Isaiah makes it clear that both of these activities - felling the proud and nurturing the small and fragile - are part of God's intentional work. Isaiah 11:1-10 goes on to depict a miraculously peaceful ...

713. Matthew 10:24-39

Matthew 10:24-39

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... believers to "resist" Satan, not fear him. The one worthy of "fear" here is certainly intended to refer to God. Only God retains the power and authority over the gates of gehenna. This almighty, all-judging image of God is immediately followed by a loving, tender image. Jesus' focus is not just on the big picture the eschatological big screen that plays out all the grand plans the Divine has in mind for creation. Verses 29-31 declare that God is concerned with the little things, the tiny creatures, the ...

714. Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... give is composed not only to give an answer to the question, but to undercut the ugly intent of the whole setup. When Jesus asks his questioners to show him the coin used to pay the tax that is, a coin of Roman legal tender, a denarius they immediately produce one. It was a brilliant stroke of debate. They fell right into Jesus' trap. Their ability to do this blatantly validates Jesus' reference to them as "hypocrites." The excruciating precision of Pharisaic obedience to Torah law would include forbidding ...

715. Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... these Old Testament texts does not tell the whole story of Jesus' unique relationship with this divine voice. There is also an Old Testament precedent for the confession that Jesus is "beloved" tellingly, it is found in Isaiah 42:1, part of the "suffering servant" songs. Thus the special tenderness imparted to Jesus by the heavenly voice also introduces the costly nature of Jesus' ministry and mission. He is not only destined for royal power; he may also expect to suffer and die for the sake of others.

716. Jeremiah 23:1-6

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... safely back to their "fold" - their homeland. Under God's care the remnants will flourish and multiply, regaining their previous strength and size. To care for these restored ones, Yahweh promises to establish new shepherds who will show the proper care for their tender charges. The author's literary skills are once again displayed in the close of verse 4 when he insists that none shall be "missing." What the NRSV translates here as "missing" is none other than that same Hebrew verb (paqad) that had been ...

717. John 20:1-18

John 20:1-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

718. Mark 6:30-44

Mark 6:30-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

719. Philippians 4:49

Philippians 4:49

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

720. 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Paul's words in 3:14-17 erect a strong, protective fence around the first tender shoots of the Christian faith communities. Planting his faith firmly in the rich soil of Scripture and tradition, Paul offers Timothy sure guidelines and positive perimeters as protection against wrong ideas and dangerous theologies. Focusing on the strength and faithfulness that come from tradition and Scripture, Paul urges Timothy to ...

721. Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... disciples and Jesus to their "deserted-place" destination. Instead of facing this unexpected welcoming committee with dismay, or trying to find a peaceful place for himself and the disciples, Jesus' response is described as one of "compassion." Even as he had shown tender concern for the physical welfare of his disciples, so Jesus is now moved by great compassion to offer help and healing to the pressing crowd. Verse 34 highlights Jesus' linkage to ancient Hebrew leaders by identifying his role with that of ...

722. John 21:1-19

John 21:1-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in the faith require pasture and careful guidance, the mature ones need the strong presence of the shepherd. "Tend my sheep," he says. That is, "Shepherd my sheep." In the third exchange, Jesus reminds Peter that even the mature sheep of the flock need the tender pasturing and care that are given to the lambs. "Feed my sheep." Still, this may be reading too much into the text. While it has been a favorite pastime of exegetes to discuss the different words used here for "love" and for "sheep" there may ...

723. The Last Parable

Mark 12:1-12

Sermon

James McCormick

... , red were his wounds and deep, For those were crude and cruel days, and human flesh was cheap. When Jesus came to Birmingham (Big Canoe), they simply passed him by, They never hurt a hair of him, they only let him die; For folks had grown more tender, and they would not give him pain, They only just passed down the street and left him in the rain. Still Jesus cried, ‘Forgive them, for they know not what they do,’ And still it rained the wintry rain that drenched him through and through; The crowds ...

724. 1 Peter 1:17-23

1 Peter 1:17-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of "reverent fear" as a baseline for personal obedience and holiness. This "fear" is not a terrified quaking boots fear that God will "get you" if you don't measure up. Note that 1 Peter unabashedly refers to God familiarly as Father - implying divine tenderness and concern. 1 Peter's call to "reverent fear", however, reminds his audience that even God the "Father" is still magnificently holy and unfathomably wholly other. And it is this carefully cultivated sense of awe and wonder at God's power that makes ...

725. Ephesians 2:1-10

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a living reality. God's great love has become manifest in human life as divine grace. This grace is the one and only hope of our salvation. That human faith is required for this salvation to be activated, however, is yet another sign of God's tender dealings with willful humanity. God does not simply cram the divine plan for salvation down our stubborn throats. God's grace waits for human faith even though it is that same grace that makes faith a possibility at all. Even after likening human beings to "sons ...

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