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 776 to 800 of 1400 results

776. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to the intimacy of the individual's bedroom and bank account. Without a breath of hesitancy, sex and money now become the focus of this epistle's discussion. First the writer urges that marriage be "esteemed" or "honored" by all. The Jewish-Christian notion of fidelity in marriage was an extreme minority view in the ancient Near Eastern world. The pagan culture took its identity from a pantheon of lustful, impetuous gods who were honored at their various temples by the presence of cultic prostitutes. The ...

777. Philemon 1:1-20

Philemon 1:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... used to ask your best friend to stay for dinner while standing right in front of your mother, then turn to her and say, "It is OK with you, isn't it Mom?"), the apostle now suggests that Philemon consider something even more radical - the notion that his slave is now his brother in Christ for all eternity. The whole incongruity between Christianity and slavery rears up at us in this one sentence. Certainly Paul opens a can of worms here by stressing the kinship and equality that Philemon and Onesimus now ...

778. Ephesians 1:11-23

Ephesians 1:11-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the threefold experience of God's hope, glory and power await these believers. Paul's prayer specifically asks for the gift of enlightenment to open the Ephesians' hearts to the presence of those gifts. In verse 19, this prayer focuses tightly on the crucial notion and nature of God's power, a theme prevalent throughout this letter. Might it have been a point of debate among the people there? Artemis worship was still a rising influence, even though the other magical beliefs, mystery religions and a host of ...

779. John 12:20-33

John 12:20-33

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the heavenly voice sounded like that of an angel. Though they could not yet discern the whole implication of what was to come, they sensed the presence of the divine in their midst. For a great many, however, Jesus' teachings remained scrambled, turning whole notions of messianic leadership, divine power and glorification over hard and on their heads. To those who simply cannot "get it," the voice is only so much noise the din of thunder. The text concludes with Jesus' revealing more of the events that make ...

780. Mark 8:27-38

Mark 8:27-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 's conclusion. The ho Christos Peter declares may be variously translated as "the Christ," "the Messiah" or "the Anointed One." Christos, however, is not here a proper name. It's a job description. The fact that Peter has a wrong-headed notion of what messianic duties are contained in this job description is revealed by his response to the stunning "teachings" that Jesus immediately begins to offer his disciples. In verse 31, Jesus neatly encapsulates the shocking mission his messiahship will fulfill. Note ...

781. Mark 10:17-31

Mark 10:17-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus as "Good Teacher," a title without parallel in Jewish sources, demonstrating this young man's high esteem for Jesus. Yet despite the man's respectful attitude toward Jesus and the respected pedigree of his inquiry, the scene betrays the perverse notions of this seeker from its very beginning. Jesus first responds by refusing to accept the designated title of "good" for himself, citing Jewish tradition that reserves that appellation for God alone. Jesus' disclaimer also serves to shift the focus of ...

782. Mark 10:35-45

Mark 10:35-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... quite right, the two first seek a carte blanche approval from Jesus. Rather like any good parent, Jesus refuses to give blanket approval and demands details. James and John's request for preferred seating may reflect either the messianic or apocalyptic notions prevalent in first-century Judaism. They perceive Jesus as Messiah. Their squabbling over most honored seating may refer to the heavenly messianic banquet. Or the disciples' reference to Jesus's being "in your glory" could also refer to the best seats ...

783. Mark 13:1-8

Mark 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in Mark's gospel constitutes only his opening remarks on this subject. Jesus' first words to his disciples warn them about the alluring snares and deceptions that will usher in this age. The greatest danger deceivers pose to believers is the false notion that the Parousia is here, that the time for watchful vigilance is past. The very appearance of "false prophets," Jesus cautions, should alert the faithful to an even more vigilant state. For example, Jesus notes that these deceivers will invoke the Messiah ...

784. John 18:33-38

John 18:33-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to the truth ..." is a job description that thwarts Pilate's attempt to find evidence of treason against Jesus. Pilate wants to talk about Jesus' claim to "kingship." Jesus instead talks about "truth." If John's gospel leans toward Hellenistic notions about "kingdoms," the words Jesus now speaks about "truth" are still overwhelmingly Hebraic in nature. When Pilate responds to Jesus' comments on "truth" with the question "What is truth?" he may merely have been making a scornful, under-the-breath snort ...

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

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to distinguish clearly John the Baptist the messenger from Jesus the Messiah the Beloved one who has come from God. The issue for Luke is not one of baptism, but of Christology. In verses 15-17, John the Baptist's own words dispel any lingering notions about his possible messianic identity. John's threefold response to the crowd's murmuring rejects the messianic title. First, John declares himself so far removed from the stature and power of the Coming One that he is "not worthy to untie the thong of his ...

786. Luke 4:14-21

Luke 4:14-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the final phrase of the prophet's words that declare "a day of vengeance" for the Lord. Instead, the imported text from Isaiah 58:6 seems to emphasize God's grace and forgiveness linking divinely granted freedom of all the oppressed to the already established notion of "the year of the Lord's favor" or the "Jubilee year" (cf. Leviticus 25). But even the good news proclaimed by these Isaiah texts pales in comparison to the message delivered by Jesus in the final verse of today's gospel text. In verse 20 ...

787. Philippians 3:17-4:1

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... challenge: "Therefore ... stand firm in the Lord" (4.1). This advice comes on the heels of several observations and instructions. Paul first invites his readers to "join with others in following my example" (v. 17 NIV). This is not the first time Paul invokes the notion of imitation. In an earlier portion of his letter, Paul urges the church to imitate Christ (2:5-11). Elsewhere in his writings he advises his readers to imitate his example (I Corinthians 4:16; 11:1,2; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9). Here, however ...

788. Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... need for a repentant attitude surely a requirement if he were simply an allegorical Pharisee. Further, the older son is cajoled and challenged by his father, not about his self-righteousness, but about his lack of joy. The father's concern is the radical notion of joyous acceptance of the one who was "dead," who was "lost." The need for watch-dogging, holier-than-thou attitudes is not an explicit focus of Luke's text. The body of this lengthy parable contains numerous fascinating nuances that testify to ...

789. Philippians 3:4b-14

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... contrary, counting something of such great value as loss shows how much more valuable is being with and in Christ. Christ is worth infinitely more than the great value of Paul's precious pedigree. In verses 7-8, Paul distinguishes between the old notion of gains and losses and this new life in Christ. Once "in Christ," Paul declares, we can see that what we once thought were advantages are nothing in comparison. Old "gains" become meaningless. It is giving up oneself to God, without seeking any advantage ...

790. John 20:1-18

John 20:1-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... body to an unknown location. The angel's answer is not recorded by John. Instead, John introduces a person whom Mary mistakes for the gardener. When she is again asked about her obvious sorrow, her reply clearly indicates that she has abandoned the notion that violence has been done to the body, and that she is hopefully embracing the possibility that a friendly agent, perhaps this gardener, has removed the body to a safer location where enemies or tomb terrorizers (quite common then) could not molest it ...

791. Acts 5:27-32

Acts 5:27-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the essentially tragic nature of the Jews' rejection of the message preached by these apostolic witnesses. At their first confrontation with Jesus' followers these Sadducean priests had professed strong theological differences with the apostles. As Sadducees, they rejected all notions of resurrection (4:1-2), which of course was the crux of the apostles' good news. Now, however, political issues are clearly the greatest concerns of the council. The high priest mentions nothing about what the apostles are ...

792. John 20:19-31

John 20:19-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and invites him to put his "finger here and see my hands" (v.27). Thomas, without doing so, responds, "My Lord and my God" (v.28). Jesus' reply to Thomas has sometimes been regarded as the ninth Beatitude, an assumption erroneously based on the notion that the Matthean list is a complete collection. The only other reference to the "blessed" condition of those who believe is recorded by Luke and placed in the mouth of Elizabeth speaking to Mary: "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment ...

793. Revelation 21:1-6

Revelation 21:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... constancy of this always present God. Josephus and Philo had already referred to God as "the first and the last." John's use of the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet was a linguistic image also used by Hebrew speaking/writing scholars. This same notion of a God always present was emphasized by Hebrew scholars who called God the "truth." In Hebrew the word "truth" is spelled alephe-mem-tav using the first, middle and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Thus God, the truth, is a God who is present ...

794. Romans 8:14-17

Romans 8:14-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . Not only do those in the "Spirit" live, but they will live in a new and exalted state as "children of God." The "life" promised in verse 13 is now seen to be genuine eternal life, such as experienced only by true sons and daughters of the divine. The notion that human men and women can become part of God's own family is what stands behind the whole idea of Jewish chosenness and Israel's "special place" in God's heart. Paul reaffirms the chosen status of God's people with his words but is careful to make ...

795. Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , verses 22-31. The LORD possessed or "created" wisdom before the worlds were brought forth (v.22). The NRSV's "created" is a problematic translation of the Hebrew qanah which can mean either "create" or "possess." The creation of wisdom implies the notion that prior to the formation of the natural world, the LORD was lacking in wisdom and so created it to be an agential factor in creation. Arius, in the fourth-century, understandably found in this passage considerable ammunition against Athanasius in the ...

796. Luke 9:51-62

Luke 9:51-62

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... metaphorical dialogue is Luke's alone. The first potential disciple approaches Jesus and boldly proclaims "I will follow you wherever you go" a declaration that suggests a Jerusalem destination is in mind. But Jesus counters with a challenge that rejects the notion that there is any definitive place to go. Jesus' poetic parlay declares that any true disciple of his must be prepared to face continued homelessness and rootlessness. Jesus and his messengers had just been locked out of the Samaritan village ...

797. Colossians 1:15-28

Colossians 1:15-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and God. God dwells fully in Christ, not just some spiritual speck or subordinate aeon of spirituality. This full portion of the divine not only became one with creation through Christ but acted as creation's redeemer as well. Another Gnostic notion, that spirit and matter are antithetical, is rejected by the presence of the supreme, redeeming Christ, a presence which defined both creation and redemption for the universe. All this theoretical prolegomenon sets up Paul's real purpose for writing this letter ...

798. Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... pain of those who suffer within their own bodies viscerally connecting with heart and soul, not just cerebrally registering the other's situation from a distance. A duet of ideas informs the moral directive in verse 4. First, this text rejects any notion of asceticism as an elevated way to God. Unlike some first-century sects, marriage was extolled as an "honorable estate," not relegated to some morally second-class status. Both the physical and relational benefits of marriage were to be safeguarded. But ...

799. Jeremiah 2:4-13

Jeremiah 2:4-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Rachel, Jeremiah's prophetic predilection faces north, not south. The Zion tradition, so much a part of Isaiah's work, is not represented in Jeremiah. The fact that Jeremiah in his early years was influenced by Hosea lends further credence to the notion that Jeremiah stood, especially in his early ministry, in the Israelite tradition, rather than in the theological traditions of Judah, the proximity of Jerusalem just a few miles to the south of his native village notwithstanding. With that as background, we ...

800. Exodus 32:1-14

Exodus 32:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a divine word down, Moses brings a human plea up to God. First, Moses refuses to take the credit or the blame for the Hebrews' deliverance by once again making them Yahweh's people, whom Yahweh brought out of Egypt. Furthermore, Moses expands the notion of what lies at stake, by reminding Yahweh that the Hebrews were not the only people involved in this exodus. Egypt is watching, and has thus far been mightily impressed by this previously unknown god, Yahweh. Would God now allow the Egyptians to have ...

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