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 901 to 925 of 1668 results

901. Jesus the Iconoclast

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... icon of the Chosen People. The icon of religious authority. The icon of political authority. The icon of strength. The icon of superiority. The icon of success. The icon of power. Today’s gospel text is just one of many examples of Jesus’ iconoclastic skills. In fact, today’s text is a perfect example of an "iconoclash" by an iconoclast — the head-butting, get-nowhere, everybody is wrong warfare that occurs when two icons collide. In today’s case, the Pharisees are touting the icon of religious ...

902. Blazing a Path to Christ

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to ward off the harsh words between children, but we all know the great power in words. Words can be instructive. Teachers and many other professionals use words to impart information and gain intellectual mastery of a subject. Words can certainly be inspirational. Skilled orators and preachers can inspire others to achieve great things through words. Words can be used to correct errors and rectify problems. Words can thus help us blaze a trail to Christ, but we must be judicious in their use. Words are ...

903. Perceiving the Presence of God

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... to do the Lord's work. But remember what Saint Paul (1 Corinthians 1:27b) says, "God chose what was weak in the world to shame the strong." We must answer God's call when we feel inadequate, namely when we do not possess the requisite skills for the task. The examples provided earlier of the Hebrew prophets demonstrate clearly that God provides what is necessary to complete the assigned task. We must, therefore, go forth in faith, confident that God's Spirit is active in our world. The Pentecost event was ...

904. Where Is Your Trust?

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

George Reed

... and to know that person understands our concerns about the safety of our community. It is one thing to hope that medical science can take care of our ills and a very different thing to lie down on a surgical table and be confident in the knowledge and skill of our physician preparing to operate on us. Our trust in God can be based on the teachings of the church and the testimony of others or it can be based on our relationship with God, buttressed and supported by the teachings of the church and the ...

905. Day One: a New Beginning

Genesis 1:1-5

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... hand? Are there young people who are lost, headed in the wrong direction, caught in the crossfire, both literally and figuratively? Are there young people in our schools who slip through the cracks of caring into a formless void where learning passes by and skills do not even come close? On this day of seeing, of revelation, and of new beginnings let us not begin by telling ourselves safe little lies. We know that across our nation, our young people constitute the most underserved population of all. From ...

906. It’s Good to Know Who Is Calling

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... used to have a parakeet. The bird's name was "Beauty." Beauty was a bird like most. She spent her life in the cage poking at a mirror and whistling while my mom played classical music. She was quite tame, and we all loved playing with her. One special skill that she acquired, however, was whistling. In fact, she was able to perfectly copy the whistle that my dad used to call our pet dog. It was amazing. You really couldn't tell whether it was my dad or the bird whistling. Neither could the dog. Often, two ...

907. Having the Last Word

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... the covenant, which God had made with the people at Sinai. David has it all. As a visionary leader, he is capable of inspiring and motivating his followers. With courage he wins many battles, annexing surrounding territories in the process. With wisdom and skillful management, he brings peace and prosperity to his kingdom. Israel has been greatly blessed through David's charismatic leadership, but David also has more than his share of warts. He has an affair with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. Then he plots ...

908. Love without Borders

Matthew 22:34-40

Illustration

King Duncan

... spent several months in prison. After the war, he and his musical family traveled throughout Israel, singing and witnessing for the Lord. When he had a massive heart attack, they rushed him to Haddasah Hospital in Jerusalem. The doctor on call that day skillfully saved his life. After he recuperated, Peter expressed his gratitude to the medical staff. When they discussed the Holocaust, the doctor suddenly burst into tears. So did Peter. For as they compared notes, the doctor told Peter that he was one of ...

909. The Willingness to Prepare

Mt 25:1-13

Illustration

King Duncan

... the will to succeed?" "The will to succeed is important," replied Bobby Knight, "but I'll tell you what's more important, it's the will to prepare. It's the will to go out there every day training and building those muscles and sharpening those skills!" No wonder Bobby Knight has been so successful as a coach. Another famous coach believed the same thing. Fielding Yost was the football coach at the University of Michigan. A player once assured Coach Yost that their team was sure to win on Saturday because ...

910. Small Acts of Kindness

Matthew 25:14-30

Illustration

Robert W. Bohl

... had died and her father had deserted her. Her aunt and uncle found her too difficult to handle. She had a bad disposition, a violent temper...stemming in part from eyes that were partially blind due to the disease Trachoma, which left her without reading or writing skills. She had been put in the poorhouse because no one wanted her. She was such a wild one that at times she had to be tied down. But there was another child named Maggie who cared for Annie. Maggie talked to her, fed her, even though Annie ...

911. Twas the Beginning of Advent

Mark 13:24-37

Illustration

Richard J. Fairchild

... coming in our own neighbours' cries. We look without seeking what we think we've earned, But rather we're looking for relationships spurned. With him he brings wholeness and newness of life For brother and sister, for husband and wife. The Christ-child comes not by our skill, But rather he comes by his own Father's will. We can't make him come with parties and bright trees, But only by getting down on our knees. He'll come if we wait amidst our affliction, Coming in spite of, not by our restriction. His ...

912. The Three Stages to Truth: A Biblical Philosophy of Education

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... for truth out of a crisis event in our personal history. As with all these disciples we find our quest for truth is many times initiated by some life crisis. 2. Having opened the floor to questions that confound them and fears that freeze them, Jesus skillfully leads his disciples onto the next stage for engaging truth - listening for truth. Dialogue now must wait. Jesus takes on an active teaching role and lectures his students on "what went on in the past?" If you are to understand what is going on now ...

913. When C Is Not Average

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... tells how God can use ordinary people to do extraordinary things. This is what so astonished the people of Jesus' day. Here was an ordinary carpenter, a typical resident from a side street in Nazareth. He was not a scholar or a rabbi, just a semi-skilled craftsman making his living with his hands. How could he be the son of God? As Nathaniel said, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:26 that the first Christians counted "not many ... (who) were wise according to worldly ...

914. The Job Description of a Leader

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Old Testament lesson: "The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me ..." The first requirement for leadership is to have been touched and called by God's Spirit. Or in Jesus' words to Nicodemus: "You must be born of the spirit." This means that true biblical leadership is not a skill or a technique or a body of knowledge that one reams and then practices. To be called by God to lead in some way is to have been chosen by God's Spirit regardless of whether you think you are able or not. Of course you are not able ...

915. Aged to Perfection - The Third Age

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of our immaturity, the time when the pounds would melt off you like snowballs in summer. During this age we are wholly dependent on others for the basic necessities of life. The focus for our energies at this stage is on education and skill building. Like our life span itself, however, this age has grown longer and longer. The so-called "baby busters" offspring of the "boomers" who are increasingly graduating from college only to move back home again are indicative of its expanding tendency. The question ...

916. The Compleat Christian

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... word "complete" - and while they are pronounced the same, the nuances of meaning between the two are significant. Whereas complete-ness applies mainly to things and ideas, compleat-ness applies pointedly to persons. Specifically, it refers to "highly skilled, accomplished" endeavors toward "a particular art or pursuit." Being a compleat Christian for Paul entailed being able to accept the gift of justification, and then respond to that grace with such eschatologically-based expectation that the Christian is ...

917. Help Wanted: Only Shunammites Need Apply

2 Kings 4:8-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is the time for dreaming, for thinking big. Secondly, a church must organize, so that the vision may become reality. The dream of getting every homeless person a place to sleep every night will not happen by itself; it will take massive amounts of skillful organization. After the nuts and bolts of organizing, the church must energize itself for ministry and motivate others to get involved. Thankfully, we have help here, for the redeeming love of Jesus Christ not only turns people around, it turns people on ...

918. ...More...

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... dignity - change our disposition. To be reconciled to the poor requires us to receive their forgiveness and be forgiven - reconciliation. Finally, to help the poor to break out of the poverty cycle requires us to share with them skills, resources, technology, and education - redistribution. So-called "middle-class" Americans are fooling themselves if they believe that the distance, dispositions and distributions between themselves and the "poor" are very significant. The increasing wealth and power of that ...

919. Toys R Us. NOT!

Ephesians 1:11-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ' stuff. The temptation to develop only one facet of our character at the expense of all the others is usually fueled by a noble-sounding desire to be "the best" at some particular thing. From childhood we are taught that if we want to excel at some skill or activity we need to practice discipline, give up other sidelights that may distract us or take too much time and focus our energies on that one effort. Learning to discipline one's time and to follow through on a commitment are, of course, some of the ...

920. Wanted: A Lasting Marriage. Only Good Chemists, Bad mathematicians, Expert Soul-O-Flexors Need Apply

Mark 10:2-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to couples who don't) report having greater respect for their mate (83 percent vs. 62 percent), agree on how to raise children (73 percent vs. 59 percent), are more playful (56 percent vs. 45 percent), and believe their mate is a skilled lover (62 percent vs. 49 percent). Individual prayer correlates with marital happiness, too, but joint prayer correlates at a level twice as high. For couples where at least one partner seriously considered divorce but who since have reconciled, 85 percent engaged in ...

921. The Widow's Might

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Order of nuns. There she taught for many years and became headmistress of a school. In 1946, she received her "call within a call" to work with the poorest of the poor. By 1948, she had received permission to leave the Loreto order and trained in the nursing skills needed to carry out her calling. She prayed, "Oh God, if I cannot help these people in their poverty and their suffering, let me at least die with them, close to them, so that I can show them your love" (Mother Teresa: The Early Years, 67. Cited ...

922. Give me a C...

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , intimidation or a peculiar blood-sausage. We even choose our cheerleaders to project the kind of strength we hope we possess. While cheering squads used to be made up of pretty, bouncy types, today's premier cheerleaders have the muscles and tumbling skills of a national gymnastics team combined with the dancing moves of Michael Jackson's backup singers. We want our team celebrated by cheerleaders who are as strong and nimble as the players themselves. Anything less might bely our boast of strength. The ...

923. The Ride of Your Life

1 Peter 1:17-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a flower bed or two? ... How many Saturday afternoons have you invested in mowing, weeding, planting and sweating over them? - Do you enjoy golfing, tennis, skiing, baseball or bowling? ... How much of your energy have you given to perfecting your sport-skills, finding the right equipment, locating just the place to play and commuting back and forth to it? - Do you count your career's success as the definition of your personal success? ... How many evenings, weekends and holidays have you given over to ...

924. Just Showing Up Doesn't Get the Job Done

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... wants you to be just like you. God wants you to be who you are. An old cowboy saying declares: "You can put a boot in the oven, but it won't come out a biscuit." Each of us must make our own biscuit from scratch using the energy, talents, skills, guts and gifts God has given us. To "be yourself" requires that you first know who you are and that takes a lifetime of work. You don't "just grow." No one "just grows." We all grow in certain ways that God intends or doesn't intend. Into whose image ...

925. And Again I Say...Amen!

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... family members? Or are they times of "picking" on one another and underlining the negatives in each other's lives? We are taught not to be a "Yes-man" or a "Yes-woman." Hearing criticism and learning how to dish it out are highly touted skills in the corporate world and educational arena. Our educational process teaches that in order to appear "smart" you have to say something critical, tear things down, analyze, nitpick and dissect. Being agreeable is thought to be reserved for those who really don't know ...

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