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 1453 results

876. Kairos Commitments

Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... into Christ through the graceful power of the Holy Spirit, we inevitably get swept up in the ministry of the church. But there is more. A second kind of call, available to all of us, is the providential call, the ministry given to us through our unique talents and abilities. It is by doing what we do best that we honor and serve God, whether it is within the church or out there in the world. The third kind of call is the secret call, that private, personal connection with God's Spirit that is offered ...

877. Transformed in Christ

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... world pushes us down, making us feel inadequate. We live in a very intolerant and unforgiving society that demands action, performance, and success. Not making the grade is unsatisfactory. We often lose heart and feel defeated. We might not possess the talent, academic potential, or physical stature or appearance of another, causing us to again think less of ourselves. Such a state of personal disrespect requires transformation. We need to be able to look into a mirror and not only see, but fully believe ...

878. God Never Gives Up on Anyone

John 14:15-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... more. You touched me and I burned for your peace. A more contemporary example of God's pursuit of our soul's is found in the life of the famous British poet Francis Thompson. Thompson was a drug addict on the streets of London, but a man with great talent as a poet. Who would ever discover the skill he possessed? It was only through the pursuit of God that he was able to have his ability discovered by the proper people, leading him to clean up his life and make his significant contribution to the world of ...

879. His Last Command ... Our First Concern!

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... commission to his disciples. It turns the farm, the assembly line, the office, the kitchen, the mill, the classroom, the truck, and the retail store into an artist's studio where we may fairly affirm, "I'm here on temporary assignment with God. My talent and time and money are needed. God has personally called me here to be his representative." It's interesting that the great commission, written originally in the Greek, actually says, "As you go into all the world, make disciples." It has almost a casual ...

880. As Long As It Is Day!

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... take us "below decks" to look inside ourselves concerning the whole matter of forgiveness. Everybody's In Debt! In the text, Jesus tells us of a king who decides to settle accounts with his servants. One man is brought before him who owes 10,000 talents. The modern equivalent would be about ten million dollars! So this subject was hopelessly enslaved to debt! Yet another fellow in the text is mentioned as owing a hundred denarii, which today equals nearly twenty dollars. So everybody in the text is in debt ...

881. Do Politics and Religion Mix?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... be to God. Using the simple question posed made popular today, WWJD (What would Jesus do?) we begin to get at the heart of what it means to give to God that which is God's. What would Jesus do with my possessions? With my time? With my gifts and talents? With my priorities? With my love of country? It is far too easy to make an idol out of our country, to put our faith in the party and the economy and the president. Yet, our God is Christ. He is our hope, our savior, our Lord, our ultimate allegiance ...

882. Go to Heaven?

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... for going to him was my love." Then Jesus will say, "Remember that pastors' conference you did in Myrtle Beach, October of '97? You'd just had an award-winning book published and were riding high. You were teaching about fifty clergy couples. There was a one-talent pastor and his wife there laboring in a small rural parish. He was depressed and thinking of quitting. She was overweight and nervous and insecure. You sat to eat with them. You listened. You told her you could see the love of God in her smile ...

883. Praying Through

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... us mentally so we will ask him to allow us to do the job. Thus our prayers become a simple asking for what God already is eager to do. As you live the Christian life you will undoubtedly find God prompting you to ask him for things. It may be talent, wisdom, health, money, help, or a hundred other things. But whatever, do not be afraid to ask God for that which you feel prompted. You won't bother him. He cares about you. You won't impoverish him. The Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills. "Ask," Jesus ...

884. Live and Learn

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... years ago Benjamin Bloom of Northwestern University reported the results of a study that explored how long it takes to achieve "world-class competency" in something like swimming, tennis, neurology, sculpting, piano. Called the "Development of Talent Project," the findings revealed that at least ten to seventeen years were required. "For example, in a study of the winners of the Chopin International Piano Competition, the Tchaikovsky International Competition, and the Van Cliburn International Quadrennial ...

885. Why Not a Christian Live 8 for the Environment?

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... point, the musicians that appeared in support of Live 8 were even more varied than its predecessor of 20 years ago, Live-AID. Rap, jazz, rock, hip-hop, country, heavy metal, Christian contemporary, ambient, New Age - all kinds of musical styles and talents were performed in support of this battle against poverty. In Rome, there was red-haired rocker Roman Fiorella Mannoia one moment, and blond-blue-eyed country western signer Faith Hill the next. It was this unconventional coming together of artists and ...

886. Choose Four

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to striving for top billing. We find fulfillment in where we are in our career, in our lives. There are no wrong answers in these different equations. But there are very different choices involved in each potential outcome. But don't get sidetracked by details like talent, intellect, drive, ruthlessness. Each of us has FOUR choices in life. These are basically the only choices we have in life. And we're told to pick one. We can choose to DO MORE of certain things. We can choose to DO LESS of certain things ...

887. Thanks Be to God

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... premise of social justice become a hallmark of the way we do business in our personal, corporate, and religious lives? The abundance that we as Americans enjoy should cause us to pause and reflect upon what is truly important in life. We have opportunities, talent, material possessions, and time. We live in a land of freedom -- politically, religiously, and socially. With all that we have the big picture might be lost, but a series of short stories can bring us back to earth as to what is most important ...

888. Eleven Plus One

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... down, we can't pin his car down either. Since blue and gray are the most common colors out there, we choose a blue Buick LeSabre or a gray Honda Accord. 12. Judas Iscariot: DeLorean Judas is probably the most innately gifted and talented of all the disciples. He was a patriot who wanted to see the Roman government overthrown and the people of Israel liberated from the oppression and injustice. Bitterly disappointed when Jesus shunned this scenario, Judas' rejection made him susceptible to the blandishments ...

889. If the Shoe Fits, Wear It

Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... them to nurture. · When Jesus calls children in their cartoon-character sneakers, he calls them to skip and jump and dance. That's what Jesus does to you and to me. Jesus calls us in terms we can relate to. Jesus calls us to use our God-given talents, no longer for our own devices but to serve God. Jesus calls us to wear the shoes he has given us to follow him – wingtips, work boots, Nikes, whatever – so that our shoes become his shoes. Jesus calls us to radical obedience. Jesus calls us in verse 23 ...

890. The Lamb's Book of Life

John 1:29-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... not long-term profit. Short-term profit. Does this not bother anybody? Are there not theological implications to the fact that already the technology of genetic enhancement is enabling made-to-order babies, as parents specify the desired characteristics – education, looks and special talents – of egg and sperm donors. Does this not bother anybody? What will church and state do when, thanks to a fully decoded gene array, there's a dynamic rebirth of a kind of trust-to-the-fates approach to life. What is ...

891. WaterFire Disciples

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... artists? Images and metaphors. These students asked for permission and funding to try their hand at creating a festival that would bring people back to downtown Providence, make citizens feel safe about their city once again, and reverse the hemorrhaging of talent and money from the city into the surrounding suburbs and villages. The first thing these RISDE students did with their grant money was to become deconstructionists. For Rhode Islanders to return to their water city, the water experience first had ...

892. Your Cheatin' Heart

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... your hard drive." Visions of months, even years of work - all your files, graphs, numbers, research, all lost forever in some silicon abyss – suddenly cloud your sight. Sadly, that vision is usually a pretty good portent of your information future. Some of the more talented computer wizards are able to recover portions of all you "saved" on your now deceased hard drive. But like that favorite doll salvaged out of the toilet by the plumber, it never seems to be in quite the same shape when you finally get ...

893. Ever Been Robbed?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to disburse it – not to hoard it or fence it or encase it or embalm it. I first thought of doing this "Ever Been Robbed?" as a stewardship sermon. We rob God all the time when we keep from God what's rightfully God's – our time, our talents, our tithes. But the ultimate robbery is to steal from God and keep for ourselves what is God's most precious treasure – God's only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Will you join me this morning in repenting ...

894. Is God Showing through You?

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... speech in 1994, had this to say: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It's our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? "Actually, who are you not to be? "You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. You are born to make manifest the ...

895. Go Meditate!

Revelation 19:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... succeed. It doesn't boast, even when I've multitasked all day long and my husband can't do more than one thing at a time. Love is not rude when my spouse innocently asks, "What have you done today?" It doesn't immediately seek after glory when we see talent in our children, but encourages them to get training and make wise choices. It's not easily angered, even when my 15-year-old acts like the world revolves around him. It doesn't delight in evil (is not self-righteous) when I remind my 17-year-old that he ...

896. Will You Still Listen?

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , as the NASA ground crew communicated to Spirit when it landed, the Word will demand that you completely re-align your life. What you thought you were going to do with your career, with your family, with your free time, with your talents, with your weaknesses, may be radically re-programmed by God's directive. When that happens, will you still listen? Sometimes, as when NASA corrected the trajectory of the slightly off-course Opportunity, the Word will shove you out of your planned pathway, sending ...

897. The Dash of Discipleship

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... it would be a chigger in the butt. When John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash his uncle, Senator Edward Kennedy, eulogized his nephew with a long list of his good works and impressive accomplishments. He noted, however, that young John had been gifted with many talents, but had sadly not received the gift of years. The dash between his birth date and death date was very short. The gift of years, when it's received, allows us to find new expressions for our mission, new ways to bear fruit as we grow and ...

898. Are You a Leg-Grabbing Christian?

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... calls you and me to undertake his works, what truly works, in this life. There's nothing lackadaisical or lazy about a disciple who relinquishes worries about things (food, shelter, clothing, even the duration or our own lives) in order to focus energies and talents on those righteous works that advance the kingdom. Righteous work may not always bring in the big bucks. Righteous work may not bring us a life of earthly riches and ease. But righteous work will always sustain us and keep us strong enough to ...

899. Death by Chocolate

Hebrews 9:11-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of considerable accomplishment dies, the person doing the eulogy is likely to mention how much the world has been impoverished by the person's death: "A bright light has gone out in the world . . . the world will sorely miss her or his many talents . . . humanity has suffered a great loss." We cannot speak this way about Jesus' death. In truth, the world was not impoverished by Jesus' death but enriched. In truth, it was not until that final moment on Calvary, when Jesus confidently let go, saying, "It ...

900. Get Out of Your Big Pickup Truck!

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... safety always fails. A strategy of risk sometimes succeeds. As our text makes clear--a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, thereby producing much grain (John 12:24)--Jesus' teaching sanctions and elevates human risk-taking. (See also Jesus' parable of the talents [Matthew 25:14\-30].) Early disciples of Jesus left the security of home, temple, and tradition and risked it all on Jesus (Mark 7:5). We worship a risk-taking God. When God created the universe, he took risks by creating a world endowed ...

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