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 1668 results

926. On Being a Hot-Fudge-Sunday Church

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of Americans who say religion has lost its meaning in their lives, as well as to the other extreme of Americans who say that religion is more important to their lives than ever before? - Can we minister to the swelling numbers of highly skilled and technologically educated workers, as well as to the expanding number of illiterate "service" sector laborers? - Can we minister to people who cry out for more privacy and individuality and yet long to belong to a caring community? - Can we minister to those ...

927. Enemies of Promise

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of blown-to-bits children seared in our kids' skulls, fear will be a key enemy of promise to this millennial generation (those born after 1984). 3. The Enemy of Hate: Children are not angels. They can be cruel, nasty, mean - but hatred is a more refined skill that must be learned at the feet of a master. To learn hatred, children must already have a good foundation of fear built up - fear for themselves, fear of others. Once that fear is in place, the scaffolding of hatred can be built. Hate people because ...

928. Out of the Box Gifts

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... up any business for himself. In fact, if all our pipes burst he would make a lot of money repairing the damages. He was simply thinking of others and offering the gift of his unique talents to help out a family with a man with no handy-man skills. Odie’s phone call has been the best Christmas “gift” idea we’ve heard so far this year. What, you say? I’ve never seen a “Phone Call from Plumber” listed in a Christmas catalogue as a gift idea. Let me explain. Retailers of all sorts are frantically ...

929. Out of the Box Gifts

Luke 1:26-38

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

... drum up any business for himself. In fact, if all our pipes burst he would make a lot of money repairing the damages. He was simply thinking of others and offering the gift of his unique talents to help out a family with a man with no handy-man skills. Odie's phone call has been the best Christmas "gift" idea we've heard so far this year. What, you say? I've never seen a "Phone Call from Plumber" listed in a Christmas catalogue as a gift idea. Let me explain. Retailers of all sorts are frantically slashing ...

930. New Beginnings

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... baby’s brain is capable of learning millions of potential languages.” (4) Think about that a few moments and you will realize what an amazing thing that is. Given the proper environment, the human creature is capable of acquiring an amazing amount of information and skills in a short time. It is truly sad that so much of this potential is neglected. By the way, parents should not give up on a child who seems lacking in potential. Albert Einstein couldn’t speak fluently even when he was nine years old ...

931. 1 John 4:7-12

1 John 4:7-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is actually low rent. Jesus promises those committed to embodying his love in their own lives that nothing will be beyond their ability to love. Verses 7-8 assure struggling Christians that as long as they abide in Christ and allow God to practice skillful pruning there is nothing beyond the strength of their love. Philip demonstrates the extensive reach of our ability to love when we are abiding in Christ, led by the Spirit, and directed by God. Luke's story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch perfectly ...

932. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... speak in a host of foreign languages. This initial experience of "tongues" differs somewhat from the later gift of "glossolalia" described in 1 Corinthians 14. There the focus is on ecstatic speaking, idealects which require the additional gift of interpretative skills to make their messages known. The incident reported in Acts, however, is simply speech in various foreign languages. That is why the crowd that gathers to observe the disciples is so stunned. This crowd represents individuals from nearly all ...

933. Mark 6:30-44

Mark 6:30-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... out of the way appears to be their real agenda. The fact that the crowd is the ultimate reason for Jesus' presence escapes them. Jesus redirects the disciples' selfish focus, forcing them to join him in caring for the crowd. Jesus' teaching skills are now fumed on the disciples as he first gives them their assignment ("You give them something to eat") and then essentially does their homework for them (the miraculous feeding of the 5000). Incapable of imagining the successful completion of this task ...

934. 2 Samuel 12:1-14

2 Samuel 12:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... life might well have been spent devoted to raising and tending lambs such as the one in Nathan's story. Only God's inscrutable providence had created a king out of a shepherd. And, as Nathan continues, it was the Lord, not David's strength or skill, who made the triumph over Saul possible. As if these miraculous interventions weren't enough, Nathan continues the litany of divine blessings in David's life. Not only has David received the power of kingship and the glory of triumph from the Lord's hand, David ...

935. Mark 13:24-32

Mark 13:24-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... section of eschatological discussions (vss. 24-37), set apart by its shift in time frame. Verses 24-27 are taken from images foretold in Joel 2:10, Isaiah 13:10 and 34:4, Daniel 7:13, Deuteronomy 30:3 and Zechariah 2:10. Jesus skillfully weaves all these various strands into one powerful and evocative vision. The quaking cosmos is the only definitive sign Jesus articulates - no other particular disasters are predicted, no specific names dropped. Indeed Jesus' use of the name "Son of Man" (his favorite term ...

936. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... his life all wrong as well - admitting that he "is a sinful man." Although their words are not recorded, James and John Apparently also opened their eyes and saw that their lives too were lacking something far more significant than effective fishing skills. By pointing out weaknesses in the "professional" portion of their lives, Jesus touched the heart of these men, bringing the revealing light of his presence to all the disabled and disabling aspects of their lives. Jesus then gives Simon a new vision ...

937. Acts 9:1-20

Acts 9:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , the Lord's own voice to the Gentiles. The famous Damascus Road theophany has been held up to all generations of the church as one of the most stirring and miraculous transformations ever recorded. Luke's sense of drama and gift for storytelling skillfully places this first of three accounts of Saul's conversion as a crescendo in a series of conversion stories. Beginning in Acts 8:4, Luke looks at Philip's remarkable work among the Samaritans, recounting their many conversions and healings. Luke follows ...

938. 1 Kings 19:9-14

1 Kings 19:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... one of the most familiar, revered stories of the prophet Elijah's tumultuous life, and it is a historical-critical quagmire. There is no reason to believe that the events in chapter 19 chronologically followed those in chapter 18. The consensus is that a skillful redactor put together the two units by adding 9:1-3, thus connecting the flight to Horeb with the events at Carmel. Chapter 9 itself then combines three stories out of the Elijah tradition - his desert wanderings, the theophany at Horeb and the ...

939. Galatians 6:7-18

Galatians 6:7-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... would write a personal postscript, usually to add specific greetings or messages to distinct individuals. But here Paul's add-ons serve a different purpose. As he takes up the pen, the letters grow larger, probably an indication both of Paul's less practiced handwriting skills and as a means of highlighting - as though writing in all capitals - the content of these final lines. Yet what Paul adds in his own hand is basically a brief recap of the entire letter's message. In a few words, he reiterates all the ...

940. 2 Kings 5:1-15ab

2 Kings 5:1-15ab

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... or impressive scene. As Naaman notes sulkily in verse 11, there is no hand-waving, power-invoking ceremony to mark this significant event. Convinced that this whole scenario is insulting and worthless, Naaman prepares to leave. Here the author of this tale once again skillfully juxtaposes weak and strong by using the humble voice of a servant to speak the truth to Naaman. As the captive servant girl had spoken up to Naaman to suggest a cure, so his own servants now point out how silly he is being by ...

941. Isaiah 11:1-10

Isaiah 11:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... else. The powerless will no longer need to fear the powerful, for all will find equal justice in the hands of their ruler. The prophet then reveals that enforcing these righteous judgments will not take the power of armies, or fear-inspiring weaponry, or skillful, wily strategists. All that is needed to bring these just rulings of the new ruler to life is "the rod of his mouth." Isaiah proclaims that the power of the words of truth and righteousness pronounced by this messianic king will be enough to ...

942. Romans 5:12-19

Romans 5:12-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... gift of Christ reveal how Paul has tried to make both the tragedy of the first Adam and the miraculous gift of the Second Adam a highly logical, clear-cut argument. Instead of emphasizing God's gift of redemption as undeserved and unmerited, he uses his classic skills as a debater and Torah-trained legalist to make a "logical case" for the wonder of the Cross. Just as one man's trespass brought death into the world, so it should be that one man's obedience should bring in the "dominion in life," the gift ...

943. Philippians 2:5-11

Philippians 2:5-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... offers what may very well be one of the oldest Christological reflections in the entire New Testament. Because of the poetic splendor of these verses, there is considerable suggestion that these texts make up an early Christian hymn, which Paul has skillfully incorporated into his letter to the Philippian church. If this is indeed the case, the theology behind this hymn represents not only Paul's own thoughts, but also the Christological convictions of the first generation of believers. As a hymn, that is ...

944. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Acts 10:46; 19:6 and 1 Corinthians 12:10). While these later experiences of "glossolalia" require interpretation in order for any understanding of the Spirit-induced language to be understood, this first example of Spirit- powered language skills is one that provides interpretation. The disciples on Pentecost are apparently not speaking unknown or mysterious languages they are clearly communicating in the common human tongues known throughout the settled, civilized world. The purposive nature of the gift ...

945. Matthew 20:1-16

Matthew 20:1-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 's gospel text is found only in Matthew. Nevertheless, the startling message this parable communicates is considered by many scholars to be an excellent candidate for being classed as a genuine word from Jesus. The classic parable structure, its skillful telling and the power of its unexpected conclusion, all suggest the special creativity and uniqueness of Jesus' own insights and teachings. Matthew introduces this parable into his gospel with his traditional "The kingdom of heaven is like . . ." formula ...

946. Philippians 4:1-9

Philippians 4:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... this faith community remained constant. Now Paul identifies two other women, Euodia and Syntyche, as his "coworkers" in the Philippian church. Paul gently urges them to "be of the same mind" while he reminds these women how they worked "beside" Paul. The apostle skillfully places the two women on equal ground, not giving pre-eminence to either one indeed putting them on level footing with his own spiritual efforts in the Philippian church. Any sense of a pecking order is defused by Paul's claim that all ...

947. Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in both the types of questions asked in these dialogues, and in the responses given by Jesus, these Pharisaic challenges demonstrate a precise practice. Although the title "teacher" originally may have been employed as part of the testing process, Jesus' skillful answers, crafted in perfect rabbinical interrogative fashion, testify to his legitimate claim to rabbi status. With the question about whether it is morally correct to pay the demanded Roman tax to Caesar, the Pharisees and Herodians hope to force ...

948. Joshua 3:7-17

Joshua 3:7-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... before the people. In verse 8, the text has none other than the voice of the Lord confirm Joshua's responsibility for overseeing the ark's triumphant entrance into Canaan over the waters of the Jordan. The scene that now begins to unfold here is skillfully drawn with great drama and suspense. In his "opening night" role as Israel's anointed leader, Joshua's command and timing are impeccable. Yet even his words lend authority to the status of his own role as Joshua focuses the whole meaning behind this ...

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

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of the lost son and the welcoming father vigorously affirms the grousing of these legalistic, fundamentalist scribes and Pharisees when they complain, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them" (15:2). The parable itself is exquisitely composed _ all Luke's storytelling skills come together in this simple, yet startling tale. While some have argued that the repetitive moments in the text (v.24/v.32) indicate that Luke has combined two events here, it seems clear enough that this is one story about a ...

950. Acts 5:27-32

Acts 5:27-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... more intimately unites the apostles and their message to the roots of Judaic history. First, he asserts that it was within the power and unity of the one God, the "God of our ancestors," that Jesus was raised from the dead. Peter thus skillfully presents the good news of Jesus' resurrection as part of the ongoing salvific history the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had intended for the Jewish people. Furthermore, Peter's carefully worded description of Jesus' death continues to drive a wedge between Jesus ...

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