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 951 to 975 of 2669 results

951. Encounter with a Stranger

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Robert Allen

... in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there recently." And the stranger asks, "What things?" And they begin to relate the sad events about Jesus which this stranger had apparently not heard. The stranger listens and then shares his own beliefs about Jesus. He began with Moses and all the prophets and explained to these two men on the Emmaus Road all the scripture that referred to Jesus. The conversation made the seven-and-one-half mile walk pass quickly. When they reached the city ...

952. The Butterfly Rock

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Carl Jech

... accept death. Easter means that we defy death - that God defies death - to stop us from changing, from living, from growing! Easter means that we affirm life, no matter what! Some have criticized Christianity for displaying mere wishful thinking in its doctrine of and belief in resurrection. Surveys have shown, however, that many people would actually prefer death to be the end! For a variety of reasons I'm sure, it seems that many would prefer not to "meet their Maker," not to face the prospect of eternal ...

953. Quantum Leap

Acts 13:13-52

Sermon

Carl Jech

... " of combining a sense of urgency with a sense of humor. It wasn't only the people in Jesus' day who resisted climbing out of their ruts. How open are we to new insights? Jesus never asked or expected his fellow Jews totally to give up their traditional beliefs. His message was only that they needed to take a new look, get a new slant on what their tradition was all about! The "quantum leap" that his message called for was not a huge change, but it seemed like a tremendous change to those who opposed him ...

954. The Piety That Isn't

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Carl Jech

... ways we may well be guilty of "practicing our piety before men," contrary to the Spirit of Jesus. We Christians have been given a difficult challenge. We have been challenged to witness to our faith without being "triumphalistic," without being boastful about our beliefs, our convictions, our morality. It's a tough challenge and it is not going to be easy to talk about it. But this is Lent. Let us really examine ourselves. "Amazing Grace ... that saved a wretch like me." (John Newton) The point is not ...

955. Winning Isn't the Only Thing ... It's Irrelevant

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Carl Jech

... of the Messiah. There was a great deal of religious/theological ferment at this period in history, and the Christian idea of a Messiah, a Christ, who suffers and gives, and lets go, had to compete with many more glamorous forms of religious belief. Evangelists who say that the choice people have is between accepting the claims of Christ or calling Jesus a liar, are really just bragging that their particular interpretation of Jesus is beyond question. To put it in classical terms, they are claiming that ...

956. Save Us From the World-Savers

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Carl Jech

... refusing to take ourselves too seriously! Another important aspect of our realization that it is not up to us to save or convert the world, is that it clarifies the attitude that we who are Christians should take toward Judaism and the other world religions. Since our belief in Jesus means that we trust God alone to handle the matter of every person's eternal destiny, therefore, we cannot put limits on who God can save! We do not need to worry that God can't save Jews unless they give up their Judaism, or ...

957. Giving Away the Store

Luke 22:7-38, John 13:1-17

Sermon

Carl Jech

... one of their most pious notions - the kosher taboo against eating blood. In a sense, to ask Jews to give up this taboo is like asking them to "give away the store." Here we have an example of how we may sometimes give up a pious and seemingly central belief for the sake of a higher insight and truth. The point in all of these Lenten sermons has been that some of the things we have said and done in our attempt to elevate the name or Jesus have actually served to obscure or misrepresent the true significance ...

958. Colorizing Jesus

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Carl Jech

... another Anglican bishop, John A.T. Robinson, wrote a book called Honest to God, in which he clearly made a conscious decision to open up such dialogue among all Christians, on such subjects as the status of the Bible and the nature of belief. Such matters are, (to borrow a phrase) "too important to leave to the experts." And as for controversy itself, must we not agree that healthy controversy is much better than stagnant blandness? Perhaps the clearest expression of this tension between the historical ...

959. Jesus Meets Buddha and Confucius

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Carl Jech

... simplistic at best, and historically, theologically, and culturally dishonest at worst. The Jesus pictured by all the New Testament writers deals with a whole different set of issues than does the Buddha who in his own unique, historical context developed and reformed the beliefs of Hinduism. A hymn of glory let us sing! New hymns throughout the world shall ring: Alleluia! Christ, by a road before untrod, Ascends unto the throne of God. (The Venerable Bede) The proper way for Jesus and Buddha to meet is for ...

960. The Power To Defy Evil

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

... of existence, he then may be a mighty God, but he is not "all-mighty." Therefore, we can hardly confess in our creed, "I believe in God, the Father almighty." It is a no-win situation. Assert the almightiness of God, and you deny human freedom. Cling to the belief that we are free agents in an open-ended world, and we are left with a mighty God who is not "all-mighty." When we turn to the Bible, we discover that any rational attempt to understand the almightiness of God is overcome by an acceptance of the ...

961. The Symphony of God

Acts 5:17-42

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

... the Sanhedrin, the high priest, and the Sadducees were furious; and, at the same time, they were afraid. Why? Why were these religious leaders afraid? Were they afraid because the message that was being proclaimed in the name of God was contrary to their beliefs? Perhaps. However, the heart and the core of the Sanhedrin's response of fury and fear revolved around one focal point - the potential power of the people. The leaders of Israel couldn't have cared less about an ignorant fisherman telling his tales ...

962. The Mystery of God's Mercy

Acts 13:13-52

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

... people? Is he saying that God predetermines everything that we are going to do before we do it? In addition, is Paul saying that we still do not know what we have done, even after we have done it? Are memory and knowledge, understanding and belief meaningless? Are they meaningless because what we do is ultimately decided by God? Are we puppets instead of people reacting automatically to the pull of preset strings? No. Paul is not saying this. When Paul says that even through ignorance of God's word, the ...

963. Counterfeit Faith

Acts 14:8-20

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

... dilute the miracle into some type of rational and scientific interpretation that fits our preestablished slipper of truth. However, when we do dilute a miracle, we actually dissolve it. To explain a miracle only results in explaining the miracle away. And, a faith without belief in miracles is, in the light of the New Testament, a counterfeit faith. Many of us, when we hear that we are to love our neighbors, interpret the word "neighbor" to be people like ourselves, people who are the same as we are - the ...

964. Christ's Resurrection is the Basis of Faith

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Bulletin Aid

Carl Hoefler

... have lacked conviction when we have talked about the Resurrection, Father, and then when we think seriously about it we feel doubts as to how it could really be. Forgive us for our affirmations that have come from our lips only, and not our hearts. Strengthen our belief in the sure hope of Christ's Resurrection and ours, that the words of our lips may be a true witness of the faith in our hearts. We pray through Christ, our Resurrection. Amen. Hymns "Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know” “I Know Not How That ...

965. Our Conduct Must Prove We Are Citizens of Heaven

Philippians 3:1-11

Bulletin Aid

Carl Hoefler

Call to Worship Pastor: The life we live reflects our true nature, regardless of the beliefs we profess. People: We profess the Christian faith, and we want to live the Christian life. Pastor: As Christians we are not free to live by the desires of the flesh. Our lives must prove we are citizens of God's Kingdom. People: We affirm our faith in Christ; and ...

966. The Message of Salvation

Acts 13:13-52

Bulletin Aid

Carl Hoefler

... with Christ our Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen. Prayer of Confession We need to hear over and over, Father, the good news of your love in Jesus our Lord. Forgive us when we let sin continue to have control of our lives, even as we profess belief in a risen Lord. Convince us of the severity of sin, the sincerity of your love, and the surety of salvation, that we may serve with faithfulness, our Lord Jesus Christ. In his name we pray. Amen. Hymns “Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know” “Blessed Assurance ...

967. Faith is Not a Substitute for Work

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Bulletin Aid

Carl Hoefler

... the tasks for which we are responsible. In our Savior's name we pray. Amen. Prayer of Confession Father, we are people bound together by a common faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But when we limit our faith to a matter of trust or belief, we find ourselves cheating one another by not assuming our share of the total responsibility in being your church. Forgive us when we have let faith affect our hearts only, and not our muscle. Correct our laziness with zealousness to do our share of the work. We ...

968. Persecution - A Time to Witness, Not Worry

Luke 21:5-38

Bulletin Aid

Carl Hoefler

... through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Prayer of Confession Our faith is very dear to us, Father, and we would not want to be denied our freedom of religion. But when we feel threatened by those who do not agree with our faith, or who argue with our beliefs, we back off in silence, or try to avoid them. We are not very strong with our witness, even in the simplest forms of persecution. Forgive us for our fears which hinder an effective witness in defense of our faith. Give us courage and words to share our ...

969. Commitment

Luke 22:54-62

Illustration

... . One young lady spoke up and said: "I have a problem with your use of the word commitment. That sounds very binding and restricting.” Bishop Kenneth Carder of Tennessee recently wrote: “The church of today has become an institution in which even belief in God is optional or peripheral. Marketing techniques for a multiple option institution have replaced response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the means of membership enlistment. The basic appeal is to self-defined needs rather than a call to radical ...

970. Make Way For Poets Of The Heart

Sermon

James Angell

... in Europe. In an American city on Sunday morning, suburbia may present another kind of evidence. Where we are most apt to find preaching "thriving" is in the new mega-congregations on the edge of the larger metropolitan areas where belief structures are mostly left undefined, but sprawling parking lots, abundant child care, and family support services have made these congregations the "right" place to be - congregations where preachers have little in common with what this chapter is about. Trouble within ...

971. Welcoming The New Millennium

Sermon

James Angell

... as space platforms turn operational - soon to be as routine as the 1980-90 shuttles. We will continue to delight in convenience and speed, but be gradually dissuaded from letting them become ends in themselves. Five great Imperishables of the Spirit persist. Belief:• In the Permanence of God.• That Life is a sacred journey and involves our choice.• In the undisputed supremacy of love.• That God is knowable; that faith risks being wrong.• That Life has a transcendent dimension and is transformed by ...

972. No Ignorant Brethren

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

Rev. Kenneth H. Sauer

... and pragmatic. We have an illustration of this connection in today's text. 1 Thessalonians was the first book of the New Testament to be written, coming before A.D. 50. It thus represents the faith of the earliest Christians. They had a strong belief in the immanent return of Christ. Paul was responding to a situation in which some Christians had already died. Since Christ had not yet returned in glory, how would these faithful dead see him? Paul was writing to answer this and other nagging questions ...

973. Don't Just Stand There! - Get Involved!

Luke 3:1-20, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Dr. John Thompson Peters

... commitment linked with the creative purposes of God. One of the great dangers of our age is that with no great cause the iconoclasts have destroyed ideals one after another, with no great God to believe in, as the skeptics have dashed age-old beliefs to pieces, that man's natural hunger to commit himself, will turn inward to destruction as it has again and again. WILL HISTORY REPEAT? The average age of the world's great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations progressed through this sequence: From ...

974. When The Cheering Stopped

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Brett Blair

... spoke up and said: “I have a problem with your use of the word commitment. That sounds very binding and restricting.” Listen to what Methodist Bishop Kenneth Carder (Tennessee) wrote recently: “The church of today has become an institution in which even belief in God is optional or peripheral. Marketing techniques for a multiple option institution have replaced response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the means of membership enlistment. The basic appeal is to self-defined needs rather than a call to ...

975. Death and Resurrection

John 20:1-18

Illustration

... Christ. It would be nice if we could hold some physical evidence in our hands to prove it all, but I would mislead you this Easter Day if I left the impression that the resurrection was a matter of fact. For in the end, the resurrection is a religious belief. In the end you cannot prove it or disprove it. And that is why some brilliant people believe and why some brilliant people do not believe. Because you cannot prove it one way or the other. There just are not any photographs. In the end we must fall ...

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