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 876 to 900 of 1065 results

876. Tabloid Testaments?

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a world where truth has gone tabloid, it is more important than ever for the Christian community to live out an identity of integrity. Has anyone ever read the Weekly World News? If you truly want to stay on top of what's happening on the religious forefront, this is the publication for you. Back in June of 1992, the WWN finally put an end to all the creationist vs. evolutionist hullabaloo by reporting "Adam and Eve's Skeletons Found in Colorado!" Thanks to the WWN, people no longer need to agonize for ...

877. Romans 8:26-39

Romans 8:26-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In his role as one called by Christ to proclaim the gospel, Paul articulated that Good News with unique power and persuasiveness. His preaching ability stirred the hearts of the struggling new churches throughout the Roman territories, just as his skill with the written word continues to inspire new generations of seekers across the globe. For all generations of the Christian church, Paul the apostle has stood out as the "Great Communicator." This week's text reveals the source and strength of Paul's ...

878. Galatians 2:15-21

Galatians 2:15-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Paul's letter to the Galatians, while highly personal and emotional, yet also offers some of the clearest and most powerful expressions of theology the apostle ever wrote. The text read for today's epistle lesson starts a new section in the letter. It is concerned with the theological fallout created by the actions of Peter and the others in Antioch. Paul has already told the Galatians how he confronted Peter and openly voiced his displeasure with what he called their "cowardly" or "insincere" behavior. ...

879. Revelation 21:10, 22-27

Revelation 21:10, 22-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

With all its wild beasts and exotic imagery, the book of Revelation is often perceived as either unfathomable - and so politely ignored - or hypnotic - and thus offering a enticing escape from maudlin reality. This week's text from Revelation is no exception. Some will read it and hear only a "pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by" theology which has nothing to do with our present day lives. Others will read into it a precise blueprint of the HolyCity - making all ongoing attempts at improving our moral standard of ...

880. Romans 13:8-14

Romans 13:8-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

It is highly ironic that Paul, known for his pre-conversion rage against Christians, his post-conversion zealousness, his daunting Pharisaic discipline, his theological rigor and his seemingly foolhardy fearlessness of death, is also the apostle who has left us some of the most moving texts on love ever written. Of course Paul's most famous tribute to love is found in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Christians and non-Christians alike, even those who generally find Paul's theology and personality too demanding for ...

881. What Does It Take To Make Up a "Call?"

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Thomas Long

William Muehl has a bone to pick with ministers. Muehl is on the faculty of YaleDivinitySchool, and he has spent many years teaching people who are about to become ministers and those who are already ministers. William Muehl is well acquainted with ministers, and he has a complaint. What bothers Professor Muehl is what he sees as a widespread tendency among ministers to do some romantic editorial work on the nature of Christian calling. To hear most ministers talk, claims Muehl, God calls people only in ...

882. Jesus Is Contagious!

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Here’s a startling image for this wintry Sunday morning. You may have seen it already. Picture a man in a tacky, grey, “rat suit” - ears, fur, tail, the whole deal. The rat-suited man is writhing on a public sidewalk, pretending he is gasping for breath. Next to this “rat-man” is a hand-lettered placard declaring, “Cyanide is in cigarette smoke - the same as it is in rat poison.” This image is currently a public service announcement on PBS stations. But here’s the real kicker. The “tag line” that ...

883. Lent 5

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, John 12:20-36

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:31-34 Jeremiah addresses these words to the Jews in Babylon. Through him God promises to make a new covenant with them. Out of their suffering, sorrow and isolation in exile as slaves, a new covenant will be made. No time was given when the new covenant would be made; Christians see the new covenant made through the blood of Christ. The differences between the old and new covenants are in the facts that the law would be in the hearts and God would be known in an ...

884. Epiphany 2

John 1:43-51, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, 1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20) In the temple at Shiloh, the boy Samuel is serving the priest Eli. He sleeps near the ark of the covenant, symbol of God's presence. One night Samuel is called. Twice he mistakes the voice of God for Eli's. Then Eli instructs the boy to say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant hears." Samuel obeys and God speaks to him of future happenings in Israel. Epistle: 1 Corinthians 6:11b-20 People in the Corinthian church were sexually immoral for religious reasons. They ...

885. Lent 1

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, John 12:20-36

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

886. Christmas 2

Ephesians 1:1-14, Jeremiah 30:1--31:40, John 1:1-18

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:7-14 Yahweh promises to rebuild the nation of Israel. God's word is one of hope through restoration of the exiles to their homeland. Previously Jeremiah had the unpleasant task of giving God's word as a message of doom, destruction and exile. Now, God has him give a message for the period after the Babylonian captivity. Through Jeremiah, God has a word of hope by promising the gathering and the returning of the exiles to Zion. Epistle: Ephesians 1:3-14 In Christ, God ...

887. A Thankless Job

John 10:11-18

Illustration

King Duncan

Any job where there is not much recognition or you are taken for granted can seem like a thankless job. Author Ruth Harms Calkin stated it well: You know, Lord, how I serve You With great emotional fervor In the limelight. You know how eagerly I speak for You At a women's club; You know how I effervesce when I promote A fellowship group. You know my genuine enthusiasm At a Bible study. But how would I react, I wonder If You pointed to a basin of water And asked me to wash the callused feet Of a bent and ...

888. A Violent Wind

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

In May of 1997, a powerful tornado swept through parts of Texas, flattening buildings and overturning cars. Shoppers at the Albertson’s supermarket in Cedar Park, Texas, were in a state of panic. Then a commanding voice come over the intercom, the voice of Larry Fore, the manager of Albertson’s. This is what he said: “Don’t leave the store or you will die . . . Your only chance of survival is to do exactly what I tell you.” Fore then directed the shoppers to enter the nearest meat locker. They did just as ...

889. Avoiding Our Pain

Mark 6:30-44, 53-56

Illustration

J. Dudley Weaver

Henri Nouwen wrote that "our culture has become most sophisticated in the avoidance of pain, not only our physical pain but our emotional and mental pain as well. We not only bury our dead as if they were still alive, but we also bury our pains as if they were not really there. We have become so used to this state of anesthesia, that we panic when there is nothing or nobody left to distract us. When we have no project to finish, no friend to visit, no book to read, no television to watch, no record to play ...

890. The Spirit of Cross Pointe

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Sermon

James Merritt

At a riding stable where horses could be rented, the following sign was posted: "We have fast horses for folks who like to ride fast. We have slow horses for folks who like to ride slow. We have big horses for big folks and little horses for little folks and for those who have never ridden horses before we have horses that have never been ridden." That sign reminded me of something that I did many years ago that I am going to confess to today. There is a side of me that many of you do not know about and ...

891. When I’m In Trouble

2 Timothy 4:16-18

Sermon

James Merritt

Everybody at one time or another has read the comic strip "Peanuts" by Charles Schulz. If you have, you can't help but love Charlie Brown. In one of the classic cartoons, Charlie Brown is at the beach building a beautiful sandcastle. He has worked on it all day long and as he stands back to admire his finished work, it is suddenly consumed by a huge wave. Looking at the smooth sand mound that had been his creation just a moment before, with that forlorn look, Charlie Brown says, "There must be a lesson ...

892. Being a Woman of God

Acts 16:11-15

Sermon

James Merritt

I am at a distinct disadvantage here for one simple reason. I believe it is easier for a woman to address a group of men than it is for men to address a group of women. The reason is simple. Women at least think they understand men; men know they don't understand women. One of the reasons for this problem is there are undeniably tremendous differences between men and women. For example: Women have many faults Men have only two; Everything they say and everything they do. I told Teresa the other day in a ...

893. When I Grow Up

Ephesians 4:15

Sermon

James Merritt

A man took his young daughter to a carnival and she immediately ran over to a booth and asked for some cotton candy. As she got this huge ball of cotton candy that was almost as big as she was, her father looked down at her and said, "Honey, are you sure you can eat all of that?" She looked up at him and said, "Don't worry Daddy. I'm a lot bigger on the inside than I am on the outside." That story captures perfectly God's third purpose for your life. We are in the middle of a tremendous forty days that we ...

894. The King and His Castle

Matthew 16:13-18

Sermon

James Merritt

There were seven of them, and in their day they were the greatest tourist attractions in the history of the world. What were they? Well, here is the list of them: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon The Stature of Zeus at Olympia The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus The Mausoleum in Egypt The Coliseum of Rhodes The Lighthouse of Alexandria The Great Pyramid of Gaza You may recognize this list as comprising what is now known as the "Seven Ancient Wonders of the World." The reason why they were called wonders is ...

895. Kill Them with Kindness

Proverbs 3:3, 19:22

Sermon

James Merritt

One of the advantages of growing older and getting a few more years under your belt is the opportunity to learn. In fact, I really believe if you're not learning, you are really not living. The day you quit learning or the day you lose your desire to continue learning, your life basically is over. The longer you live, the more you can learn. One of my goals in life is to try and learn something new every day. I do it either by reading a book or a magazine or perusing the internet or asking questions of ...

896. The Dark Side Arrives

Sermon

James Merritt

As we left our story last week in galaxies beyond, we found Darth Vader kneeling before the hologrammed image of the Emperor pledging his loyalty to his evil master. In the meantime, the battle between the forces of light and darkness has intensified and the Jedi are gaining ground. The young, but powerful Jedi leader, Luke Skywalker, must be stopped and the Emperor is making a visit to insure his demise. Every day, in every way, when you walk out the door of your home, Satan is going to try to turn you to ...

897. What Do I Do When I Can't Get Started?

Proverbs 6:6-11

Sermon

James Merritt

Today, I am going to deal with a problem that I freely admit that I have and I am absolutely convinced everyone has this problem to one degree or another. I am going to be honest with you. Sometimes, I have a problem with procrastination and starting tomorrow I am going to do something about it! The truth of the matter is everybody in this room has at least one thing that you haven't yet done in your life and the only reason you haven't done it is simply because you've procrastinated. I heard about two ...

898. The Good News about Marriage

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

A man laid his purchases on the check-out counter. Among those purchases was a large birthday card. On it was printed, “To my wonderful wife.” The clerk said, “You’ve chosen our biggest and prettiest card.” The man nodded sadly and replied, “Yep, but one day late.” Oops, somebody’s in trouble. But every married person knows that a good marriage takes work. “Marriages don’t last,” comedian Rita Rudner once said. “When I meet a guy, the first question I ask myself is: Is this the man I want my children to ...

899. Like a Tree Planted

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

You have probably never thought seriously about tiptoeing through the treetops, but there is a place where you can do that very thing. A lush Brazilian rainforest is home to a spectacular "canopy walk." Tiptoeing through the tops of several hundred different kinds of trees, you will observe creation from an entirely different perspective. You can look a golden-headed lion tamarin in the eye as it jumps from tree to tree. You will see termite nests the size of pumpkins, hanging from rubber trees that are ...

900. Mary and Joseph: His Obedient Servants

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I was in Columbus, Ohio not long ago. I had wedged in a day, following a meeting in Kentucky, to visit for the first time since their marriage last summer, my daughter, Kim and her husband, John. We were coming home from dinner out in the evening and John called our attention to a striking sight. On the end wall of a church sanctuary, a giant shadow of Christ was cast. It was a unique and moving sort of thing, created by the lighting of a small statue of Christ in a garden behind the church. I had passed ...

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