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 1126 to 1150 of 4456 results

1126. Like Abraham To The Slaughter

Psalm 22:1-31

Eulogy

Dennis E. Dinger

Farm Accident It is not good for us to be here. There is something wrong, there is something almost obscene, about parents being at their own child's funeral. We are hurt beyond grief by the suddenness and by the waste of ____________ death and we need to talk about that. We want to shake our fists at the sky and curse God for the unfairness of the burden he has given us and we need to talk about that. We wonder how we will ever get through this day, and how we will get through tomorrow, and if we will ...

1127. Walking the Valley of the Lost

2 Samuel 1:17-27

Sermon

Donald Zelle

After the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag; And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said: "Thy glory, O Israel, is slain uponthy high places!How are the mighty fallen! Tell it not in Gath,publish it not in the streets ofAshkelon; lest the daughters of the Philistinesrejoice, lest the daughters ...

1128. Freedom's Year

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

A man in Alberta, Canada, delights in telling the story of his older brother's second wedding. The man's wife had died suddenly when they were both in their middle years. But then came a widow to the community, a feisty, free-spirited little person, and in just a short while, they asked the minister to come over for a house wedding. The families were gathered for the occasion, and the minister read the form. Then it was time for the vows. Everything went without a hitch, until he asked the bride, "And do ...

1129. The Vocation of Leadership: A Prophet Among Them

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

The original invitation to deliver this Johannaber Lecture included the general instruction that the lecture theme have something to do with spirituality and/or spiritual formation. The more I thought of that in the context of a “ministers week,” the more certain I was that I wanted to focus on leadership – the vocation of leadership. Pastors are leaders, but they are specifically Christian leaders. So that’s my focus: leadership from a Christian perspective. I begin with three pictures. The first is out ...

1130. Living as Orphans

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

A church official in Canada tells a disturbing but true story about a hunting party that ventured into the woods in the northern part of that country. As the other members set up camp, two members of the party wandered off. It was a clear, warm, day in autumn. Northern Canada at its best. The men were captivated by the beauty of it all, but, after a while, they found themselves absolutely lost. When the two men did not return to the camp, an emergency protocol went into effect. By the next day, a large ...

1131. Philemon 1:1-20

Philemon 1:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

If Paul's words still have persuasive power for us today, consider how helpless poor Philemon must have been when faced with a personal letter from the apostle who had been responsible for his own conversion. The canonical letter to Philemon aptly demonstrates Paul's mastery of this communication form, leaving us little doubt about the outcome of this thorny situation. At the outset Paul reminds Philemon that he is part of a "beloved" community, a community identified by its love for one another. Paul not ...

1132. Philemon 1:1-20

Philemon 1:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1133. The Most Powerful Word

John 13:31-35

Illustration

Margaret Guenther

Love is the most powerful of the potent four-letter words hate, fear, work, life. And maybe love is the hardest of all to understand. Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another." This is absurd, if not impossible: how can anyone command love? I can hear my grandmother's voice enjoining my big brother the only person I have ever bitten (but he had it coming!) and me to love each other because God had given us to each other as brother and sister. We glared at each other and ...

1134. What is the Future of Marriage?

Mark 12:18-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A friend looked me in the eye a few weeks ago and said, “Howard, I appreciate the way you keep politics out of the pulpit.” I can only hope that person is still my friend after this sermon. For when it comes to the private and public aspects of marriage, politics and religion become strange and often conflicted bedfellows. First you need to know that I am not a politician, not even a very good church politician, and it’s certainly not my intent to make a political statement today. Furthermore, it would not ...

1135. Mentoring Matters

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

A man, a woman, a house, and a pitchfork. All of you, I feel sure, have seen the oil painting titled American Gothic by artist Grant Wood. It's a Depression Era scene in rural Iowa portraying a stern-looking farmer holding a pitchfork and standing beside his morose, unmarried daughter. The painting has become a part of American popular culture, and the couple has been the subject of endless satirical depictions. They are not happy campers by any stretch of the imagination.1 Those of us who have photographs ...

1136. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

1:1 · Epistolary Greeting: In the ancient world, people believed that letters brought one into the presence of an absent person. Seneca (Moral Epistles 75.1) said, “I never receive a letter from you without being forthwith in your presence.” First Thessalonians and other apostolic letters fill the gap left by the separation of the founders from the church (2:17–18; 3:6, 10–11). Greek letters began with the name of the author, followed by a greeting and a prayer or thanksgiving. Although the form of 1 ...

1137. The Good Husband

Isaiah 54:1-17, Isaiah 55:1-13, Isaiah 56:1-8

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Some of you here today are sitting in worship with a burden on your heart. Some of you are angry with God for that loss of job, or that sickness that has come upon you or your family. Some here today may have doubts that God truly cares about your life, truly cares about what happens to you or someone dear to you. Some of you may not be sure that God has heard you, or worse, that God exists to hear you. If you’ve been a lifelong church-goer, you’re probably afraid to ask those questions, just in case you ...

1138. Prayers for Memorial Day, Election, Thanksgiving

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

Memorial Day Today, Creator God, we remember. We remember the courage of our forefathers who decided they could no longer bow to England's crown, so they went to war to gain our country's independence. We remember the agony and blood-letting of that war that pitted American against American, the north against the south. Even to this day the wounds of that fighting are yet to be healed. We remember that many years ago we sent our troops to "fight the Kaiser" in a war that was to end all wars. Then less than ...

1139. Baptism In Three Movements

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

There are two very different ways to think about baptism. The first approach recognizes the time of baptism as a saving moment in which the person being baptized accepts the love and forgiveness of God. The person then considers herself "saved." She may grow in the faith through the years, but nothing which she will experience after her baptism will be as important as her baptism. She always will be able to recall her baptism as the time when her life changed. The second approach wouldn't disagree with any ...

1140. The Family of God

1 John 5:1

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A typewriter. Good morning, boys and girls. I brought along my typewriter this morning so that I could share something with you that I learned while reading my Bible the other day. How many of you have ever looked closely at a typewriter? (Let them answer.) Did you notice all of the little keys inside? (Let them answer.) What is on the keys? (Let them answer.) That's right, there are letters on the keys. There is an a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, etc. Every letter in the alphabet is on one of the keys ...

1141. Dead or Alive?

Joel 2:28-32

Sermon

What red-blooded member of the Western story and Western movie cult has not developed a fascination for the old-style posters proclaiming that someone is wanted "Dead or Alive"? The Scriptures for today suggest we should have before us a series of posters with our pictures on them, each proclaiming in the boldest of print: "WANTED! Alive; not Dead!" This is the impression one gets from the whole biblical message. Moses in his farewell address reminded the people that God had set before them blessing and ...

1142. Called into Friendship

John 15:1-17

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

I would like to ask you two questions this morning. The first question is this: "What would you consider the highest honor that you could receive? Would it be a promotion in your work or an unexpected invitation to be an overnight guest at the White House?" The second question is: "What is the finest gift that I could give to someone? Would it be money or possessions?" Answers to these questions can vary widely. But I think we can answer these questions very simply, and the answer could apply to all of us ...

1143. To Be a Christian

Acts 11:19-30

Sermon

James McCormick

In the earliest days of the Christian movement, the followers of Jesus were not called Christians. They were called “followers of the way”. Jesus had said, “I am the way”, so they were followers of “the way”. The book of Acts tells us that the disciples were called Christians for the first time in Antioch. We use that term, “Christian” a lot. But what does it mean? That’s what this sermon is about. First, let’s talk about what it does not mean. It does not mean simply that you have been baptized and you ...

1144. Anyone Feeling Tired?

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Our lesson for today contains a verse that many of us need to take to heart. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus is describing many of us. He knows our situation. Tired. Stressed out. Battling fatigue. Our nerves on edge. We’re like an old Peanuts comic strip. It shows Linus holding on to his familiar blanket. The caption reads, “Only one yard of flannel stands between me and a nervous breakdown.” Some of you know what Linus is talking about. A ...

1145. Things a Child Can Teach Us

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of you of a certain age will remember when Roman Catholic Bishop Fulton J. Sheen was one of television’s brightest stars. For those of you who were not even born when Sheen was giving his televised talks, you might be amazed that he twice won an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Television Personality, and was featured on the cover of Time magazine. He also received thousands of letters from his viewers. One mother wrote that her son was under her feet while she was working in the kitchen. She said to ...

1146. Trusting Authority

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

I want to tell you three stories about three men who wrestled with the authority of Jesus. And none of them met Jesus until they had first achieved phenomenal success in the secular world. Story One Sam showed up in worship after he married Cheryl, a lifelong member of the congregation. He had been raised as a secular Jew, and when I met him he was a curious agnostic — eager to argue and debate the fine points of theology. The congregation I was serving has shared space with a Jewish synagogue for over ...

1147. It's A Wonderment

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Have you ever said something really dumb? Have you ever opened your mouth and stood there one legged like a flamingo, with all the grace of an elephant on roller skates with your other foot stuck firmly in your mouth? I remember one time when I did. About ten years ago I was serving the little United Methodist Church in Eureka, Texas. We were in the middle of building a new Sanctuary. The pews from the old Sanctuary were solid oak and over a hundred years old. Money was tight and we couldn't afford new ...

1148. It's a Wonderment

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

1149. Dying And Rising With Christ

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I have a friend who is a Benedictine monk. The way we live out our lives is vastly different, but I feel a real kinship, a oneness of spirit with Brother Sam. One of the most memorable evenings, one to which I return often in my mind, is the time he and I spent together alone in our home in Nashville, sharing our Christian pilgrimages. The vivid highlight of that evening still alive in my mind was his sharing with me the occasion of his solemn vows, the service when he made his life commitment to the ...

1150. Dinah and the Shechemites

Genesis 34:1-31

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Rape of Dinah: A number of years after Jacob settled in the vicinity of Shechem (33:17–20), a man named Shechem, the son of Hamor, rapes Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. The approaches of the two parties to resolving this offense reveal the deep conflict between two different ways of life: shepherds in conflict with urban dwellers and worshipers of one God in conflict with polytheists. Several acrid terms in the story convey the brothers’ outrage at Shechem’s act of passion against their sister: violated (’ ...

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