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 1259 results

926. Expecting the Unexpected

Judges 4:1-24

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

Whoever started the tradition of referring to the various documents of the Bible as "books" probably meant well. However, it seems to me, this rather generic designation often obscures an important truth: namely, that the "books" are, in fact, an extremely diverse body of literature -- containing everything from laws to letters, and poetry to prophecy. Even a casual reader soon realizes that the so-called "Good Book" is actually an eclectic collection of pieces written over the course of centuries by God ...

927. Seeing Light In Darkness

John 11:1-16

Sermon

David Belgum

As death drew near for a seventy-year-old man, a cousin was heard to say to his wife, "Don't worry, Agatha, it seems dark now, but in time you'll see the light at the end of this tunnel." Some use another cliche, "It's always darkest before the dawn." These are not helpful statements. And Agatha, about to become a widow, simply sighs and says to herself, "No one understands." It may have seemed to the sisters, Martha and Mary, that Jesus did not understand the seriousness of Lazarus' illness. Here their ...

928. Preaching On Biblical Personalities

Sermon

John R. Bodo

929. Prayers for Pentecost

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

Eternal God, as accustomed as we are to all kinds of people demonstrating on our streets, we find ourselves taking a second look at the people who gathered on the occasion of Pentecost. First, they were on the street at 9 a.m. -- that seems a little early to us. Second, though they were all supposed to be from Galilee, when they spoke it was in the languages of all the foreigners who were in Jerusalem on that day. Third, their unusual behavior was attributed to the Holy Spirit. Lord, we know that some of ...

930. Holy Hype

Matthew 11:1-19

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: We can miss the man, Jesus, if we become enthralled with His works. We can miss the Father if we cannot see Jesus. Summary: A slick public relations person is telephoning Jesus to set up a glitzy itinerary to promote Jesus' ministry. Jesus tells him He doesn't need that. (A monologue) Playing Time: 3 minutes Setting: Anywhere Props: A mobile phone Costumes: A sharp suit Time: The present Cast: HARRY (This character could be male or female) HARRY: (ON THE PHONE) Hello, uh, hello. This is Mr. Hastings ...

931. The Season Of The Resurrection

John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

Theme: Jesus Appears to the Disciples, and Makes a Special Appearance to Thomas. Today is also Bright Sunday, not Low Sunday. AN INVITATION TO THE EASTER CELEBRATION Pastoral Invitation In the name of the risen Christ, welcome. Last week, I asked you to wear bright clothes today; thank you for doing so. Now, how many of you know that this past Monday is known as Bright Monday? How many of you know that today is Bright Sunday, which we clergy have often called "Low Sunday," because it is the Sunday after ...

932. Designated Son Of God

Romans 1:1-17

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

"Descended from David ... designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness ..." so Paul writes of the One who is to come; the One we are expecting (Romans 1:3, 4); the designated Son of a designated God come to a designated people. God reveals himself in power; we humbly and imperfectly place names on what we see and feel. God designates a Son and the Son designates a people. Designating/Naming What we know of our world and of God is as human as life itself. From the beginning of time we ...

933. Moving At The Speed Of Light: At The Jordan

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

Peter had long practiced a religion which required the separation of Jews and Gentiles, and following Christ's ascension Peter continued to be a practicing Jew. Through the example of Christ, Peter began to think differently about those who were considered ritually unclean and unacceptable to God. Earlier in Acts 10, Peter has been staying in Joppa in the home of one who practiced an "unclean" profession, Simon the Tanner. From there he receives the call from God to travel to Ceasarea to the home of ...

934. Moving At The Speed Of Light: Nazareth: Family Ties

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

When I was a child and my mother started thinking out loud about "going home," she meant driving to Grandma's house a thousand miles away. This trip from Ohio to Nebraska with two parents, five children, and sometimes a dog did not happen in our unairconditioned family sedan without considerable planning and effort. Just packing the car strained family cordiality and tested my father's training as an engineer. His plan was always the same: Be on the road shortly after midnight and drive all night so that ...

935. The Easy Way Out

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Glenn E. Ludwig

One of the responsibilities that parents often have with children is the supervision of musical lessons. Getting the kids to practice is never easy. The first problem is just getting them to sit down to do it. Then, the second problem begins. Did you ever notice how easy it is to re-play the familiar? When you listen to those practices, ever notice how often you hear the same pieces over and over again? The prospect of struggling through a new piece seems like torture, so the temptation is not to bother ...

936. You Can Be Beautiful

Hosea 14:1-9

Sermon

Michael B. Brown

Following a morning as guest preacher at a large suburban church, I was approached by a member whom I had spotted during the second morning service. He had been sitting on the very front pew. A large man, he left hardly any room for other persons on the short pew near the chancel. He was not poorly dressed but did present a generally disheveled look, as if appearance were at the bottom of his list of personal priorities. All smiles, he approached me with a hug and the following greeting: "Hey brother! All ...

937. Praying To The Congregation

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Thomas Long

According to legend, a certain West Coast radio evangelist would customarily close his broadcasts by praying over the air, "O God, we ask that today you would touch the hearts of those in 'Radioland' to support this worldwide ministry. We pray that you would move them mightily to send offerings of love, and to send them to Post Office Box 345, Pasadena, California." Though he was particularly crass about it, this minister was actually committing a fairly common mistake in worship leadership -- praying to ...

938. Maundy Thursday

Lk 22:14-30 · Jn 13:1-17, 31b-35 · 1 Cor 11:17-32 · Ex 12:1-14 · Ps 116

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 12:1-14 The passover marked the beginning of a new era for the Israelites. "This month shall be for you the beginning of months" (v. 2). The people are ordered to set aside a flawless lamb to be slaughtered, roasted and eaten on the 14th day of the month. Everyone was to be part of the feast. The meal was to be eaten in haste because God was on the move. The people are to be ready to leave as soon as the Lord breaks the bars of slavery. The blood is to be placed on their ...

939. God, The Father

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

Comment: It was the beginning of summer and I was chomping at the bit to do some more story sermons. Only I was interested in doing something that explained the Trinity, something that might prove more memorable than other sermons I had tried on the subject. For Father's Day, I tackled the First Person of the Trinity. Matthew 6:1-8 "Jake! Jacob ben Jacob! Is that you?" Samuel's voice was very excited. The peculiar puffy eyelids could only be those of his childhood friend. The man turned and looked at him ...

940. Death Shall Be No More

Isaiah 25:1-12

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

Someone I love very much goes each year to a cemetery near her home, carrying a small teddy bear. She stands beside a tiny grave, thinking about what-might-have-been, about a terrible grief only partly assuaged by the years -- remembering. Then she places the bear on the grave of a little fellow who never got to hold it and quietly returns to her car. The passage of the years, and the hope of a some-day reunion help, but the inward pain will never completely disappear 'til then. Isn't this the world in ...

941. The Adventure Of The Empty Tomb

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

Comment: I am a Sherlock Holmes* fan. In early 1983, I got to wondering what would happen if Sherlock Holmes investigated the Resurrection. On Good Friday evening, I decided to go to work on a short, short story to be used the Sunday after Easter during a congregational hymn sing. I already had a sermon started for Easter Sunday. As I began to write, I heard the voices and literally let the story flow from what I was hearing. After working two hours I had two problems. One, the story was already a page ...

942. There Is Healing in the Touch

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

The idea for this sermon, “There is Healing in the Touch,” comes from two sources. In the Gospel Jesus makes a house call at the home of Jairus, President of the Synagogue Council. We would call him Senior Warden. “My little girl is dying,” he said. “Will you come and put your hands on her?” When Jesus entered the room, he took the little girl’s hand and said to her in his own native language, “Wake up, little girl!” At once she jumped to her feet and walked around the room. The other source is a book my ...

943. We All Sin So What?

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

One day a young skeptic knocked on the door of a rectory. A priest opened the door. The visitor said, “Come out. I want to talk to you about a problem.” “No,” the priest replied, “You come in. I want to talk to you about your sins.” After Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, God came one evening and called to them, “Where are you?” Because they were afraid of what God might do to them for disobeying him, they hid themselves. At the end of the day God knocks on the garden door and says, “I ...

944. A Lady With A Listening Ear · Mary Of Bethany

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

There are as many ways to witness as there are witnesses. Not everyone can be like Andrew, who never met a stranger, or Peter, whose eloquence brought thousands to Jesus. (Acts 2:14-42) But one thing is sure. Each of us has a witness to bear. I For Mary of Bethany the witness took the form of the hours she spent at Jesus' feet. It was an act of devotion the very sight of which must have spoken as tellingly to her neighbors as anything she might have said to them. It was not that she would have been content ...

945. For Freedom

Galatians 5:1-15

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

It is the Fourth of July. An old veteran puts on his medals and makes his way to the park where Independence Day celebrations have already begun. He is greeted by the inviting aroma of hamburgers and bratwurst cooking on portable grills, and the sounds of happy voices floating out over the grass on a warm summer breeze. The park is full of picnickers gathered around tables and sitting on blankets under the trees. Children are playing on the swings and slides, and chasing each other around the merry-go- ...

946. The Best Surprises

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

Clement E. Lewis

Instrumental Meditation A Hymn: "Sometimes A Little Surprises" (Let the hymn be played through as meditation music, after which the lyrics may be either sung or read.) Scripture: Matthew 2:9-12 and 4:9-11 (NRSV) When they had heard the king, they set out; and there ahead of them went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house they knelt down and paid him homage ...

947. I Am The Bread Of Life

John 6:24-35

Sermon

Brett Blair

There is a bit of Jewish humor that goes like this: An old man goes to a diner every day for lunch. He always orders the soup du jour. One day the manager asks him how he liked his meal. The old man replies, "It was good, but you could give a little more bread. Two slices of bread is not enough." So the next day the manager tells the waitress to give him four slices of bread. "How was your meal, sir?" the manager asks. "It was good, but you could give a little more bread," comes the reply. So the next day ...

948. Receive The Holy Spirit

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Larry Powell

"It is my heart-warming and world-embracing hope," said Mark Twain, "that all of us - the high, the low, the rich, the poor, the admired, the despised, the loved, the hated, the civilized, and the savage - may eventually be gathered in a heaven of everlasting rest and peace and bliss, except the inventor of the telephone." Mark Twain obviously held a great dislike for the telephone, probably because, among other things, it renders a person to be easily accessible, even when they prefer to be inaccessible. ...

949. Tears And Ointment

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Larry Powell

Senator William Proximire (D-Wisconsin) regularly delights the general public by awarding his now-famous "Golden Fleece Award" to some government committee or agency which, because of some redundant high-dollar project, has achieved recognition for excelling in flagrant, wasteful, unnecessary spending. Senator Proximire gets our attention because he illuminates a subject of interest to us all: how money is spent. We do not like to spend more than we have to and have little tolerance for irresponsible, ...

950. A Faith That Burns

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

"Conflict" is a dirty word in most churches. As Christians, we seek to avoid it at all costs and do so in the name of Christian love. We call it, "seeking the peace, unity and purity" of the church. And then Jesus comes along and says, "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34)," or as Luke has it, "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!" The words send us scurrying for explanations to reduce their caustic effect. But who is this whose words intrude ...

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