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 1668 results

951. Romans 5:1-5

Romans 5:1-5

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Although Romans 5:1 clearly starts a new section of Paul's letter, it skillfully builds on all that the apostle has already set forth. The example of Abraham, cited in 4:1-22, surely remains dominant in the minds of Paul's audience as they continue to read about the role endurance, character and hope play in the lives of the faithful. But in ...

952. Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... two of Luke's three "lost-and-found" parables. While a version of the "lost sheep" story is also recorded in Matthew 18:12-14, both the "lost coin" and the "lost son" are unique to Luke's gospel. Luke locates these three parables together, skillfully building in intensity and power the force of the remarkable message they convey. Part of the power these stories generate depends on the three different degrees of narrative style Luke employs. On the first level, there is the narrative of the author to the ...

953. 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... By exhibiting proper attitudes and training others in right actions, an instructor cultivates "righteousness." Paul's focus in verse 17 is on Timothy - the one he sees as teacher, not those Timothy will teach. The teacher must be truly "proficient" in spiritual skills and scripturally equipped for "every good work." Having urged Timothy toward steadfastness - to continued loyalty to the biblical truths and traditions he knows so well - Paul now directs a final charge in 4:1-5. While all Paul's appeals have ...

954. Matthew 2:13-23

Matthew 2:13-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Matthew takes great care in setting the scene for Jesus' birth. The gospel writer skillfully sketches the events immediately after Jesus' arrival. Matthew's focus in both cases is on the proper fulfillment of Scripture, detailing Jesus' identity in light of all the predicted indicators of the Messiah's arrival. In Matthew 2:13-23, the writer presents three separate scenes, each scrupulously designed to " ...

955. 1 John 4:7-12

1 John 4:7-12

Sweet

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 ...

956. 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 ...

957. 1 Samuel 16:14-23

1 Samuel 16:14-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the force of a good God. Saul, having suffered the removal of God's spirit, now experiences its void as "evil." At his servant's urgings Saul seeks to fill this painful "absence of good" with something identifiably positive - in this case soothing music skillfully played. Nominated to fill this need, David, now secretly anointed as God's choice for king, is described with all the necessary characteristics of a leader - "a man of valor, a warrior, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord ...

958. 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 ...

959. 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 ...

960. 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 ...

961. 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 ...

962. 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 ...

963. 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 ...

964. Mark 8:31-38

Mark 8:31-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . In his rebuke of Peter, Jesus orders him back to a proper discipling position "Get behind me" and differentiates between the all-too-human concerns of Peter and the infinitely more important, eternal matters that are at stake. Part of the paradox Mark skillfully depicts in this exchange is that at the very moment Jesus is flexing the power and authority of his "secret" messianic identity, he is also revealing that in his messianic future lies suffering, rejection and death. Having put Peter in his place ...

965. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... drunk and have so lost all sense of place and propriety that they use common language on holy ground. At this point, Luke weaves a third thread into his story using the strength of an apocalyptic tradition to testify to the magnitude of this moment. The text skillfully introduces the concept of time through Peter's testimony that the disciples could not be drunk since it is "only nine o'clock in the morning" (v. 15). While it may be early in the day, Peter's words reveal that the true measure of this time ...

966. 2 Corinthians 12:2-10

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... his words and questioned his authority to speak them. Instead of trying to intimidate these disruptive factions with his impressive credentials of faith and service, Paul takes a different debating tack. Beginning in chapter 11, Paul flexes his considerable rhetorical skills. Through an astonishing use of irony and paradox, he makes an irrefutable case. Paul declares that he will be both boasting and foolish for while his "boasts" reveal the genuine integrity of his faith and testify to the authority he ...

967. John 6:24-35

John 6:24-35

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's gospel lesson skillfully brings together two motifs that have previously just been addressed separately. The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 (6:1-15) and Jesus' miraculous walk on water (6:16-21) are interwoven in ways that instruct the obstinate crowd and reveal new information to the reader. The "crowd" ...

968. Mark 12:38-44

Mark 12:38-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . Jesus' observation that the scribes liked "to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces" is a reference to the tradition which dictated that common people "in the marketplace" should respectfully rise to their feet when a scribe walked past. Only certain skilled tradesmen working in the marketplace were excused from this social gesture of respect. Likewise at banquets and dinner parties, a well-heeled host would show off his own importance and good taste by having a learned scribe and some of his ...

969. Luke 7:36-8:3

Luke 7:36-8:3

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Today the skillful narrator of Luke presents a story that has parallels in all the other gospels (Mark 14:3-9; Matthew 26:6-13; John 12:1-8), yet stands on its own as a uniquely Lukan tale. Scholars argue over the relatedness of all these stories. Some see two genuinely different ...

970. 2 Timothy 1:1-14

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to join Paul in his suffering an ordeal that may include not only imprisonment but abandonment by those who had earlier claimed friendship and alliance (see v. 15). Thankfully, neither Paul nor Timothy nor any other Christian need manufacture some super-human skills in order to survive and scale this turmoil and these betrayals. In verses 9-10, the apostle expounds a typically Pauline account of the miraculous gift of grace believers have received from Christ. The transformative power of God's grace is ...

971. Luke 17:11-19

Luke 17:11-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... returned to Jesus, recognized the source of his healing, offered up the appropriate praises to God such a miracle demanded, the Samaritan alone successfully couples his newfound faith with a healed body and spirit. Truly, he alone is completely cured. As a skillful storyteller, Luke uses masterful touches throughout this tale. In verse 15, the reader is impressed by the faith of the one returning leper and is moved by this man's prostration before Jesus as he praises God. Only after Luke has established ...

972. Isaiah 11:1-10

Isaiah 11:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a variety of animals are paired to convey an image of peace: the wolf, leopard, young lion, bear, lion, viper and young viper are juxtaposed with lamb, kid, calf, cow, ox, nursing child and weaned child. By making use of such traditional images, Isaiah skillfully attracts the attention of an audience politically and economically beleaguered with a messianic message of hope: "The earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (v.9). The arrival of an ideal ruler who would judge ...

973. Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... family's flight to Egypt, see Commentary, December 27, 1998.) The gospels provide two birth narratives, one from Luke which accents Mary, and another from Matthew where the focus is on Joseph. Luke's account is full of poetic tension, dramatic skill and rhetorical flourishes that resound to this day. Matthew's account is sparse and highly stylized by comparison. Even the theatrical, thrilling appearance of the angel to Joseph doesn't distract from the density and intensity of Matthew's major thrust: God ...

974. John 1:(1-9) 10-18

John 1:(1-9) 10-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... J. A. T. Robinson and Raymond Brown have all grappled with this relationship and have yet to come to any consensus. What is generally accepted is that John's Gospel bears the marks of two redactors in addition to its original author. These redactors skillfully created a text that spoke the truth of Christ's message for all the earth while addressing the distinctive needs and concerns facing the Johannine community. Scholars also remind us that John is a very early Christian document, fragments of which have ...

975. Luke 2:22-40

Luke 2:22-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ' life. The event of Jesus' presentation at the temple and the reactions his presence inspires fit precisely into a pattern Luke has already established in the infancy narratives. The point here is not fireside tales, but faith's firepower. Luke, the historian, uses his narrative skills to weave a common pattern between the birth narratives of both John the Baptist and Jesus, using as a template the story of the great prophet Samuel's own birth. Here in Luke 2:22-24, Jesus is brought to the temple, even as ...

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