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 1453 results

951. Three Wise Gifts

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... won't be; but it could be. Anyone who walks out a door just might be walking out of your life. Forever. So pay a compliment. Say something nice you've been meaning to say to someone. Tell them that you think they're a good, talented person; that you value their friendship; that you admire their ability; that they make you happy... It's a notion that you'll never regret. (Mike McGrath, "In Memoriam," in Robert Rodale's Save Three Lives, (San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1991), xvi-xvii.) Guerilla Love ...

952. The Monster Under Megan's Bed

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... up some of your children to be prophets" (Amos 2:11). There are three areas where it's easiest to see how much we have to learn from our Megans in technology, the environment and peacemaking. In each of these areas, we have the tools and the talents to begin transforming our world but need to open our minds and hearts and spirits to the fresh insights our children have to offer. 1. Technology We adults stand amazed at how easy it is for our children to use and understand all the electronic wizardry and ...

953. God's in Charge (so shut up!)

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... an open hand stretched out to another is the most eloquent speech we can make. When we finally "shut up" and let God be in charge, we find we have a lot more to give to others than advice. Will we be openhanded enough to give ourselves our time, our talents, our treasures to those within our reach?

954. Will You Join the Jesus Team?

Exodus 24:12-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... have the freedom to act collaboratively. The second key characteristic of a "dream team" is that it is a team of difference. A dream team is not where like meets like, but where difference meets difference, or what we have elsewhere called "harmonious difference." Diversity is as imperative to a talent pool as it is to a gene pool. Pentecost, the reversal of Babel, empowers us to recognize and respect differences.

955. Just Showing Up Doesn't Get the Job Done

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . God wants you to be just like you. God wants you to be who you are. An old cowboy saying declares: "You can put a boot in the oven, but it won't come out a biscuit." Each of us must make our own biscuit from scratch using the energy, talents, skills, guts and gifts God has given us. To "be yourself" requires that you first know who you are and that takes a lifetime of work. You don't "just grow." No one "just grows." We all grow in certain ways that God intends or doesn't intend. Into whose ...

956. The Oblivious Obvious

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... provide. But then, Jesus uses Simon and his boat in a demonstration of divine power and authority. When Jesus causes the nets on Simon's boat to fill with fish _ almost to the breaking point _ Simon suddenly realizes this is not just a gifted speaker or a talented teacher that he has welcomed aboard. Keenly aware of the eternal gulf separating himself and Jesus, he cries out the obvious to Jesus: "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man" (Luke 5:8)! Now there's a confession one doesn't hear very often ...

957. Treasure Hunters

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... but very little music. One soul might need symphonies, but have only a slight requirement for fine food. One soul might long to taste every gourmet "goody" that comes his/her way, but need only a humble abode. That is why, as the Parable of the Talents teaches us (Matthew 25:14-30), inequality does not spell injustice. We all share as equals, but we are not all given equal shares. It is not inherently wrong for one person to possess more than another person because each person has many different needs, some ...

958. What Jesus Wants for Christmas (Part 2)

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of the wise men of the East; they search for the star and discover it after many days. There are others like the keepers of the flock of Bethlehem; they are engaged in their own work, and the star comes to them. The men of the East are men of talent; they plan, and they succeed. But the keepers of the flock are men of genius; they never need to plan; they are illuminated in a moment. In the midst of their daily toil, there is suddenly with them a multitude of the heavenly host singing "Glory." They are like ...

959. Out of the Box Gifts

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... blast of arctic air headed our way. “Odie” wasn’t trying to 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 ...

960. Out of the Box Gifts

Luke 1:26-38

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

... of the blast of arctic air headed our way. "Odie" wasn't trying to 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 ...

961. Stay Focused!

Illustration

Eric Ritz

We sometimes miss the great opportunities of life because we get sidetracked. I once heard the tale of a talented and gifted bloodhound in England that started a hunt by chasing a full-grown male deer. During the chase a fox crossed his path, so he began now to chase the fox. A rabbit crossed his hunting path, so he began to chase the rabbit. After chasing the rabbit for ...

962. Seven Resolutions

Illustration

Walter Schoedel

... bother to make New Year's resolutions in the first place? Why do we feel this need each January 1 to set new goals? Maybe it is because resolutions help us to identify our priorities. They answer the Question: how do I want to invest my time, energy, money, and talents in this New Year? The New Year reminds us that time is passing. It is up to each of us to maximize the potential of every moment.

963. Who You Really Are

Illustration

Marc Gafni

... voice. On the day of his bar mitzvah, Louis performed beautifully. At the end of the ceremony, Rabbi Gafni stood and spoke directly to Louis. He said, "Louis, this morning you met your real self. This is who you are. You are good, graceful, talented, and smart. Whatever people told you yesterday, and Louis, whatever happens tomorrow, promise me one thing. Remember . . . this is you. Remember, and don't ever lose it." A few years later, Louis wrote to Rabbi Gafni. The boy whose parents predicted that he was ...

964. 2 Samuel 12:1-14

2 Samuel 12:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... listening king's heart and mind. While in the past David and Nathan may have joined together to hear legal disputes before the court, there is no real sense here that either man supposes this parable is an actual case. Part of Nathan's talent is that despite the hypothetical nature of his tale, it so successfully involves David that it evokes a spontaneous and heartfelt response. When David condemns the pitiless behavior of the rich man in verse 5, therefore, we should not see David as a ruler pronouncing ...

965. Matthew 25:31-46

Matthew 25:31-46

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... "scribes and Pharisees" are denounced for their rejection of the Messiah and their ultimate punishment (a hell sentence) foretold. This judgment text is followed by the examples of the faithful and unfaithful servants (24:45-51) and the parable of the talents (25:14-30). In both cases, those who break faith with their "trusts" are punished when the master returns to judge their stewardship. Having already established faithfulness as the plumb line for condemnation or mercy at the returning Messiah's hands ...

966. 2 Samuel 12:1-14

2 Samuel 12:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

967. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... community of faith together and healthy. Paul's point is the equality of all believers - regardless of their designated role within the church, their social status outside the church, or their spiritual acuity and sensitivity. All were combining their talents and gifts for the "common good" (v.7). Paul jettisons the whole notion of any spiritual hierarchy. All spiritual expressions are gifts of grace from God, not earned or merited "rewards" for individual faithfulness. Paul expands on this "body" imagery ...

968. A Demon Speaks Out in Church

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... Belletini, pastor of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus, Ohio tells about a man in a church he once served who was deeply troubled. The man was a pillar of the church. Sat on committees. Sat on the board. Taught classes. A very talented man. And this brilliant man used to put away five huge glasses of gin on ice every night, but especially before coming to a church meeting. Now, when he drank, like many alcoholics, his body processed the alcohol differently from a non‑alcoholic metabolism ...

969. The World's Worst Bargain

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... River Phoenix? I don’t know, but I suspect that it had something to do with the condition of his soul. Please, do not misunderstand. I am not standing in judgment. None of us has that right. But we can express our sorrow at the waste of a talented young life. Whatever River Phoenix was searching for in life, he obviously didn’t find it. “What good is it,” asked Jesus, “for a man to gain the whole world fame, fortune, adulation yet forfeit his soul?” King Charlemagne lived from 742 to 814 A.D. He ...

970. Remember Me

Luke 22:7-38, John 13:18-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... .” The quilt was made by Irwin’s grandmother, who pieced it together at the turn of the century, before she married. Irwin first laid eyes on the quilt years ago, and until he saw it, he knew nothing of his grandmother’s passions or creative talents. “She had put on the quilt all the things she liked . . . If it were not for the quilt, her great-grandkids would only have known her name,” says Irwin, “and that she spent all her time cleaning, cooking, darning socks, ironing things that wouldn’t ...

971. Memories of Home: The Prodigal Son

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... us what it’s like to be constantly compared to the perfect older sibling. “When you’re older brother was in my math class he had the highest average.” “Your older brother was an All-Conference quarterback. Too bad you didn’t inherit some of his talent.” “Your older brother made the All-State Chorus three years in a row. You can’t carry a tune in a bucket.” “Your older brother was such a good writer. I expect he’ll be a famous author some day.” “Everyone admired your older brother ...

972. Patience Is Important

Mark 4:26-34

Illustration

David G. Rogne

... to school in the lowest level classes and never moved out of the lowest group in all the years he attended Harrow. Albert Einstein seemed so slow and dull that his parents feared that he was mentally deficient. One observer has said, "Great minds and high talent, in most cases, cannot be hurried and, like healthy plants, grow slowly." It is so with God's Kingdom. We scatter the seed, but we are not ultimately responsible for its growth. We cannot make things happen. The process by which the kingdom of this ...

973. The Smallest Beginnings

Mark 4:30-34

Illustration

David G. Rogne

... have been, "No, nothing new. Oh, they say a woman named Mary had a baby in a stable last night. But nothing significant ever happens around here." And when that child grew up and taught, he taught about little things: a cup of cold water, a person with one talent, a widow's offering, a lost coin, kindness done for "one of the least of these." So many of the greatest happenings begin in just such a fashion. They are no more than the planting of a mustard seed. Yet, in God's good time, the seed becomes a ...

974. Proper 10

Mark 6:14-29, Psalm 24:1-10, 2 Samuel 6:1-23, Ephesians 1:1-14

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... servants of the heavenly realm we shout for joy. INVOCATION Benevolent God, you receive the worship of your varied peoples with a variety of styles of music and ritual. May our worship offer you the best we can present to you, whatever our talent, in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen PRAYER OF CONFESSION How dangerous is the pride in which we attempt to compare our greatness to yours, O God! What lineage, however honorable, can be traced with confidence in your eternity? What national history or personal ...

975. Proper 12

2 Samuel 11:1-27, Psalm 14:1-7, John 6:1-21, Ephesians 3:14-21

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... your authority to call to account be remembered by all who take lightly the responsibility of high office, and use their position for less than just designs. Creator of all good things, inspire the creative among us to find new ways of employing the talents of human workers, that the unemployed may be put to work at what is more than busyness, making our communities more beautiful, more healthful, more friendly in every way. Redeemer of the lost and the wasted, motivate the drifter and the purposeless in a ...

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