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 926 to 950 of 1065 results

926. Hot Air or the Holy Spirit?

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

There was a big spring festival in Jerusalem that day. It may have been similar to Dogwood Days in Atlanta, the Strawberry Festival in Dayton, or Mule Day in Columbia, Tennessee. This agricultural festival was called the “Feast of Weeks" and it took place every spring on Pentecost, 50 days after the Jewish Passover. Jews scattered throughout the world returned to Jerusalem for the celebration designed to emphasize the goodness of God. As people do at community festivals, everyone was having a good time — ...

927. Living in Gratitude

Philippians 4:4-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Have you heard the old story about the young man who enthusiastically joined the monastery? Wanting the highest and the best, the young monk immediately took the vow of silence. The solemn vow meant the monk could only speak two words a year and those were reserved for his annual evaluation with the Abbott. The first year passed and the Abbot asked the monk how he was doing. Without hesitation the monk replied, “Food Bad." Another year passed and the Abbott again asked the monk how he was doing. The monk ...

928. Sickness Rearranges Priorities

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

Brett Blair

In 1971, in Plano Texas, a woman by the name of Linda gave birth to a boy she named Lance. She did what many mother's do with boys. She molded his temperament by involving him in a variety of sports. He soon showed an aptitude as an athlete and by the age of 13 his skills were confirmed when he won the Iron Kids Triathlon—a combination of swimming, biking and running. Three years later at the tender age of 16 he became a professional triathlon athlete. When most children were trying to compete at their ...

929. The Cross No One Wants To See

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

Lee Griess

Garbage truck driver, Craig Randall, brings his work home with him sometimes. There was that old-fashioned sewing machine he found. There were some books he rescued from the trash. And then there was that soft-drink cup that just happened to be worth $200,000. Neither Randall nor his fiancée really believed it until he drove his garbage truck up to the restaurant and picked up the check. Twenty-three-year-old Randall said he lifted the cup from a pile of trash while he was on his route in south Boston. He ...

930. Small-Minded Christians in a Big World

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

John N. Brittain

How familiar Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 1 sound! Chloe's people had reported quarreling among the believers. Imagine that — disagreements in a church! There were rivalries and backstabbing even in the very earliest days of the Christian community. Paul's words are worth examining because factionalism is a perennial issue in the Christian community, found not just within modern day congregations, but between local congregations within a denomination, between churches in a given community, among religious ...

931. God Will Be With Us

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

Some unknown wit has published an essay on the Internet on the joys of being a male of the species. He says, “Men are just happier people.” Then he explains why. Here are some of the advantages he lists with regard to being male: “Your last name stays put. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can never be pregnant. Same work, more pay. (Uh, oh . . . I’m going to start a brawl with that one.) Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100. New shoes don’t ...

932. Counting Our Spiritual Blessings

John 6:25-59

Sermon

King Duncan

One of my favorite Peanuts comic strips is the one that came out some years ago just a few days before Thanksgiving. Lucy’s feeling sorry for herself and she laments, “My life is a drag. I’m completely fed up. I’ve never felt so low in my life.” Her little brother Linus tries to console her and he says, “Lucy, when you’re in a mood like this, you should try to think of things you have to be thankful for; in other words, count your blessings.” To that, Lucy says, “Ha! That’s a good one! I could count my ...

933. The Garden of Temptation

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

A woman tells of joining a weight-loss organization. At one meeting the instructor held up an apple and a candy bar. “What are the attributes of this apple,” she asked, “and how do they relate to our diet?” Among the answers that came from the group: “Low in calories” and “lots of fiber.” She then detailed what was wrong with eating candy, and concluded, “Apples are not only more healthful but also less expensive. Do you know I paid seventy-five cents for this candy bar?” The group stared as she held aloft ...

934. Leaving Home

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

There was an article about two Irishmen who set up a company in order to sell dirt genuine Irish dirt to Americans. The two men say the demand for this “official Irish dirt” has been phenomenal. They sold one million dollars worth of their product in a very short time. One elderly New York businessman placed a $100,000 order so he could be fully buried in genuine Irish soil. (1) Obviously that gentleman was very, very homesick. His body was in the US, but his heart was still in his homeland. That happens ...

935. Acts 2:14a, 36-41

Acts 2:14-41

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

There are miracles and there are miracles. As “miraculous” as the resurrection, as Jesus beating back death, there was the almost-as-miraculous transformation of his disciples. They went from being a continually confused and clueless gaggle of followers, then a terrified remnant of traumatized, heartbroken believers hiding from the world, and then they are reborn as powerful, articulate, Spirit-filled witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection and messianic identity. Jesus rose from the dead, but his disciples also ...

936. Why Are You Acting Like Orphans?

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

There comes a time in every child’s life when he or she entertains two possibilities. One: your parents are from Mars. Two, you must have been adopted. Usually these revelations occur in tandem . . . after a huge fight with Mom and/or Dad; or after a sibling beats us up or puts us down. It dawns on us that no way could we really be related to such mean, bossy, completely opposite people. We must be adopted. Remember when adoption was a highly confidential, even secretive, process? That made it a great ...

937. He Ascended Into Heaven

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Familiar words. Churches have been repeating them for centuries in the Apostles' Creed: I believe in God the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into Hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. "He ascended...." Up, up, and away. It ...

938. Words That Wound, Words That Heal

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

Often we fail to recognize the power of our speech, our language, the words we use. A public speaker once began his address by commanding his audience to "stand up." Then he said, "Turn and face the back of the church ... now turn and face me." Finally he commanded them to "sit down." "The point I am making," he explained, "is that words have power. They can make things happen. They can be bullets which penetrate the heart, wounding the one for whom they are intended. Or they can bring joy, celebration, ...

939. Gummy Old Men

Matthew 3:1-12

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

Theme: Reflection, remorse, repentance, renewal Characters: Norb (older man) Earl (older man) Tone: Humorous, serious, sad, hopeful Setting/Props: Bench in a city park near the retirement home Approximate time: 5-7 minutes (Musical introduction) Norb: Well, for goodness sake, if it isn’t me ole friend, Earl. When did they let you out? Earl: Hiya, Norb. They always let us out — right after coffee. “Feed the monkeys, chase ’em out.” You know how retirement homes work. Haven’t seen ya fer a while Norb — where ...

940. Jesus Rescues Us

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Oskar Schindler, immortalized in Steven Spielberg's 1993 prize-winning film, Schindler's List, was a man who rescued the oppressed and brought them new life. He was born on April 28, 1908, in Moravia, Austria-Hungary, now the Czech Republic. After completing his education, he worked as a commercial salesman, changing jobs many times during the 1930s. He tried other businesses, but soon went bankrupt due to the Great Depression, which gripped Europe at the time. Though a citizen of Czechoslovakia, Schindler ...

941. Leveling the Playing Field

Illustration

Staff

One of the golfers on the pro tour some years ago was a pompous egomaniac with the emotional maturity of a six-year-old. He could do nothing wrong and always had a quick excuse for any loss: it was a lousy course, the other golfers were cheating, the weather was terrible, etc. As if these faults were not enough, he was also not above hustling a few extra dollars playing amateurs in cities on the tour for $50 a hole. One day he was approached by a man wearing dark glasses and carrying a white cane who ...

942. The Namless Last Student

Illustration

Staff

The setting is Ohio State University about six or seven years ago in a huge lecture hall (approximately 1000 students) for a Calculus final. Apparently this particular calculus teacher wasn't very well liked. He was one of those guys who would stand at the front of the class and yell out how much time was remaining before the end of a test, a real charmer. Since he was so busy gallivanting around the room making sure that nobody cheated and that everyone was aware of how much time they had left before ...

943. Responsible Living

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Jeanie Duck is a single mother with a three-year-old daughter. One day a friend gave Jeanie a two-pound box of See’s dark chocolate nuts and chews. Being a chocolate lover, Jeanie was in heaven! As she was oohing and aahing over the box her daughter, Jennifer, joined in the excitement. This was a bad sign. If Jennifer was excited, it was because she expected to share in Jeanie’s newly acquired bounty. Clearly the only way Jeanie could get rid of her was to share some of her precious chocolate, so she gave ...

944. After the Parade

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome to this celebration of Palm Sunday. Today is a joyous occasion as we remember the crowds of people who lined the streets of Jerusalem to welcome our Master into their city. Ironically, today is also, of course, April Fools’ Day. Maybe that is more appropriate than ironic. For, after all, didn’t St. Paul teach us the Gospel is foolishness to those who do not believe? “A stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles . . .” is the phrase he used (1 Corinthians 1:23). So perhaps April Fools’ Day ...

945. Love Each Other (Mother's Day)

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

A little boy watched, fascinated, as his mother gently rubbed cold cream on her face. “Why are you rubbing cold cream on your face, mommy?” he asked. “To make myself beautiful,” said his mother. A few minutes later, she began removing the cream with a tissue. “What’s the matter?” he asked. “Are you giving up?” Welcome on this Mother’s Day. It’s not easy being a Mom. Those of you who have children know it’s not easy, regardless of their age. One Mom says that she’s going to try something different next ...

946. Breaking Loose

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Charles Simpson of Mobile, Alabama tells of meeting a young man who dives for exotic fish for aquariums. This adventurous young man said that one of the most popular aquarium fish is the shark. He explained that if you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay at a size proportionate to the aquarium. Sharks can be six inches long yet fully matured. But if you turn them loose in the ocean, they grow to their normal length of eight feet. (1) Mother Nature is amazing. How does the shark know that it ...

947. Advent 3

Isaiah 12:2-6, Zephaniah 3:14-20, Luke 3:1-20, Philippians 4:4-7

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship (Includes the lighting of the Advent Wreath) Leader: Already, the year is behind us and we are counting the days until Christmas — the eldering for one set of reasons and the young for another. We’ve come here to enjoy the festivities of December and to tell again the stories that encourage us to be God-bearers in our world. People: The scriptures say that God has made promises of safety and prosperity to people who are willing to be loyal bearers of goodness and grace, mercy and ...

948. Mark 10:35-45

Mark 10:35-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Anyone who has gone through that social maze and emotional gauntlet known as “high school” knows that there is always an established “elite” as well as a definite “out” crowd. In every school system there are the “chosen few” and the untold “unchosen.” This week’s gospel text reveals that the desire to be the cream of the crop has been with humanity for far longer than there has been adolescent slam books. In today’s gospel text we read about the “sons of Zebedee” and yet these disciples of Jesus come ...

949. Not So With You

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

How many of us here this morning were born BC? By “BC” I mean “Before Cell-phones?” The first cell phone was invented in 1973 by Martin Cooper. My kids were born AC, but I was born BC. In a world of 7 billion people, there are now 5 billion cell phone subscriptions. Pretty amazing for something under 40 years old. In the last forty years the cyber-cellular age has changed the way we do business, the way we get our education, the way we socialize. The world has never been so closely connected, and there has ...

950. From Self-Help to God-Trust

Hebrews 7:11-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It is always the longest, most solidly stocked stacks in any bookstore — the “self help” nonfiction section. Maybe it’s a holdover from the old American adage of “pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps.” We’ll use some “self-help” suggestions offered by others only as long as we get to pick and choose what kind of help we’ll consider acceptable, only as long as we are still ultimately in charge of the direction and duration that the “help” we seek takes. “Self help” books, whether they are focused on ...

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