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 1176 to 1200 of 4456 results

1176. Making One's Calling and Election Sure

2 Peter 1:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

Greeting 1:1 The opening of 2 Peter is along the conventional lines of a NT letter, giving sender, addressees, greeting (see commentary on Jude 1 and Additional Notes on Jude 1–2). The sender identifies himself as Simon Peter. Most Greek MSS of 2 Peter transliterate the sender’s first name as Symeōn, the Hebrew form applied to Simon Peter elsewhere in the NT only in Acts 15:14, in the appropriate Jewish-Christian setting of the Council of Jerusalem. The author further calls himself a servant and apostle of ...

1177. Christian Success and Christlikeness

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: When the Christian faith is reduced to a mere complement to cultural norms, churches come to affirm the very things they should despise and despise the very things they should affirm. Understanding the Text First Corinthians 4:6–13 ends Paul’s response to the deeper and broader issues in the report coming from Chloe’s household. Paul brings the tension between Corinthian ideals and true Christian ideals into their sharpest contrast yet by pointing to his own situation. Everything about Paul, both ...

1178. In Remembrance

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

King Duncan

Albert Einstein, one of the most brilliant men who ever lived, at one time lived in a small frame house in Princeton, New Jersey. One day Einstein was asked for his telephone number. He looked puzzled for a minute, then asked for a phone book (I know. Those of you under 25 are wondering, “What’s a phone book?” Ask one of our older members after the service.) Anyway, I think it is interesting that Albert Einstein, a very smart man, did not even know his own phone number. Was he simply forgetful? Not ...

1179. John Mellencamp and the Danger of Procrastination

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Alexander Graham Bell was an amazingly talented person. He invented the multiple telegraph, the audiometer--which is used to test your hearing--the tricycle landing gear you find on planes, and a host of other less well-known machines. In addition to this, he was the co-founder of the prestigious magazine Science, served as President of the National Geographic Society, and spent his life working with deaf people. But the most famous of all his creations was, of course, the telephone. It also made his ...

1180. His Final Words

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

King Duncan

Someone has penned an obituary that could have appeared in the Jerusalem Post, on a certain Saturday in the year 33 A.D. The obituary reads like this: Jesus Christ, age 33, of Nazareth, died Friday on Mount Calvary, also known as Golgotha, “the place of the skull.” Betrayed by the apostle Judas, he was crucified by order of ruler Pontius Pilate. The causes of death were asphyxiation by crucifixion, extreme exhaustion, severe torture, and loss of blood. Jesus Christ, descendant of Abraham, was a member of ...

1181. The Law of Unintended Consequences

Matthew 5:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Series: Seeing God More Clearly in 2020 How many of us consider ourselves to be law-abiding individuals—let me see your hands? Most of us take it for granted that most of the laws in our society are worthwhile and reasonable, and we’re thankful for them. Laws are absolutely essential to keeping us safe and providing us with an orderly society. But ever so often we encounter a law that has unintended consequences. For example, many states enact laws to protect the general public from those who have ...

1182. Job and the Mind Storm

Job 42:7-17, Job 42:1-6, Job 38:1--41:34

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Overthinking is one of the worst stress inducers in our lives. We all know the overthinker –the one who, no matter what the situation is, will make mountains out of molehills and declare tragedy the moment something doesn’t go as planned. Or that person who, when contemplating a change or an event, will worry about every detail so much that he or she derives no enjoyment whatsoever from the event itself. There are “go-with-the-flow” people. And the upright and the uptight. They overthink everything. And ...

1183. Faking It or Making It?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

Last winter AT&T unveiled an amusing commercial in their “Just Ok is Not Ok” series. Many of you will remember it. The commercial features a sleazy tax preparer named Phil who is talking with a young woman who has come for help with her taxes. Phil says to the young woman, “Leave it to me. I’ll get your taxes in an O.K. place.” The young woman says, “What?” Then with the back of his hand beside his mouth, he adds, “Just as soon as my ‘audit’ is over, this gets my undivided attention.” The young woman looks ...

1184. Greater Works Than These?

John 14:8-17

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

What a blessing to be with you all on this Pentecost Sunday! Today we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the people and thereby giving birth to the church of Jesus Christ. We come to celebrate the wonder and power of God’s love in Jesus that calls us into community and service together. And truly we come this day to celebrate the great gift we have in Jesus Christ himself. This all sounds great, doesn’t it? I love a celebration! Who doesn’t? Especially if it’s a birthday and everyone is ...

1185. Greater Works Than These?

John 14:8-17

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

1186. Good News! You Are Going To Be Tortured

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

Some of you may be familiar with the two-minute radio program, Ask Dr. Science. Dr. Science, as the initiated know, isn't a real doctor. He has a master's degree . . . in science! This disclaimer always runs at the end of the program, however. In the meantime, the announcer asks Dr. Science a question sent in by a listener like, "Why can I only see the stars at night?" Then Dr. Science answers the question in an annoying know-it-all voice that conveys the unspoken message: "This is a highly complex subject ...

1187. Let Us Pray!

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

In James Baldwin's Blues For Mister Charlie, there is an arresting scene in which a young boy announces before his grandmother and the world that he no longer believes in God. The wise and unperturbed woman replies, "Ain't no way you can't believe in God, boy. You just try holding your breath long enough to die." No less than breathing or the sucking of a newborn infant, prayer is instinctive human behavior. The disciples' plea, "Lord, teach us to pray," arises from a primal urge deep within the human ...

1188. James the Lesser · A Small Man for a Big Job

Matthew 10:1-3

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Symbol of James How many of you know what it is like to be the smallest one in the group? Did any of you have friends who are bigger, or big brothers and sisters so that it seems like you are always the smallest one around? If you know what it feels like to be the smallest one in a crowd, you will know what one of the disciples of Jesus felt like. His name was James and he had a brother Matthew, who was also a disciple. His mother and another brother were also followers of Jesus but they were not ...

1189. Service -- Rahab and Mary of Bethany

John 12:1-11

Drama

Martha L. Leach

Characters: Narrator Rahab Mary Narrator: Tonight Rahab, the Canaanite, meets Mary of Bethany. Their means of "service" were quite different, but each served in her own way. Each of us has some way or ways we share our faith through service. In his description of the last judgment, the Master said the righteous will ask, "When did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you as a stranger and welcome you or naked and give you clothing? And when did we see you sick ...

1190. Save Us From the World-Savers

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Carl Jech

Now his elder son ... was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father. "Lo, these many years I have served you ..." (Luke 15:25a, 28-29a) Garrison Keillor likes to describe his fictional town of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, as having been founded by "Unitarian missionaries who came to convert the Indians through the use of interpretive dance." To appreciate the subtle humor of this remark we need to be aware that Unitarian Universalists generally don't believe ...

1191. The Trifocal Festival

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

(The sermon for All Saints’ Sunday takes the form of a dialogue. At least two voices are required and more can certainly be employed.) Introduction: The festivals of the church year - occasions to contemplate and celebrate the divine mysteries. Both ingredients are essential. Churchly celebration without contemplation can be form without substance, a liturgical extravaganza for who-knows-what reason. By the same token, contemplation without celebration can leave us sitting cadaverous in the stone-cold tomb ...

1192. Converting the Converted

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lest sheep of the house of Israel. And preach as you go, saying, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ " [Matthew 10:5-7] Have you ever wondered why, with a church on almost every corner in America, so much evil abounds? In a country with approximately 120 million church members, 98 million gamble, costing $5.1 billion per year. In a land where seventy-one percent of the ...

1193. Our Inclusive Christ

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

I recall so well the summer of 1962, which I spent in Managua, Nicaragua. I was part of a group of ten college students on a Peace Corps-type of mission to that beleaguered, poverty-stricken country in Latin America. Often we attended a Baptist church there. We could not have been more different from the members of that little congregation. They were smaller than we. Their skin was darker. They were poorer by far. Because of the language difference, I could not understand much of what their preacher said. ...

1194. The Crucified Ruler

John 19:17-27

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

I must confess that my knees trembled just a bit. I had never met a king before. I would probably never meet another monarch as long as I lived. It took place many years ago when I was a missionary in Ethiopia. The King of Ethiopia at that time, Haile Selassie, invited the YMCA chorus to sing Christmas carols for him and his family at his palace. We were all excited about the opportunity. As we entered the palace, we were awestruck. It was a fabulous place. High ceilings. Marvelous light fixtures. Plush ...

1195. The Language of the Heart

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Music, music, music. In the words of Carlyle, "Music is well said to be the speech of angels."(1) Or Longfellow, "Music is the universal language of mankind."(2) Shakespeare: "If music be the food of love, play on."(3) Music. Sometime back public school music teachers compiled some answers that youngsters gave to test questions:(4) • Refrain means don't do it. A refrain in music is the part you better not try to sing. • A virtuoso is a musician with real high morals. • Handel was half German, half Italian ...

1196. A Faithful Follower I Would Be

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

President Harry Truman once made a trip to the old west town of Tombstone, Arizona. Ghosts of the famous and notorious alike crowd the streets of Tombstone ” people like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. When Truman returned from Tombstone, though, he didn't talk about the legendary heros. Instead he recalled the words engraved on the headstone of a simple man buried at Boot Hill. The inscription read: "Here lies Jack Williams. He done all he could." Included on a church's annual commitment card was a question ...

1197. Yes, But He Started It!

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

King Duncan

In the seventeenth-century, there was a French explorer named Samuel de Champlain. Champlain reported back to the Old World on many of the wonders he encountered while journeying through Canada. In these writings, he told one story of a mixed Catholic and Huguenot community in Nova Scotia that was served by both a Roman Catholic priest and a Protestant pastor. Champlain does detail the doctrinal disputes that arose between these two servants of the Gospel, but he explains the means by which they sought ...

1198. A Misplaced Holy Day

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

John A. Davis mailed a Christmas card to his brother in December 1942. Nearly 55 years later it showed up at a post office in Tinley Park, Illinois. Davis had long ago figured the card, sent from Jackson, Miss., to Maryville, Tenn., got lost. The long-lost card raised eyebrows at the Tinley Park post office, and Davis' family learned about it through a newspaper account. The supervisor had sent the card on to Maryville but got it back when Davis contacted him. "There is a lot of nostalgia in this thing. I' ...

1199. All That From A Little Bit Of Water?

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

[While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] Original Title: All That From A Little Bit Of Water? New Title: All That From A Little Water There was the Baptist minister who, at his first baptism, became stage-struck. Standing in the baptismal pool ...

1200. Living With Difficult People

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Our Jewish friends are wonderful story tellers and they do not mind making fun of themselves. Here are two samples: During a service at an old synagogue in Eastern Europe, when the Shema prayer was said, half the congregregants stood up and half remained sitting. The half that was seated started yelling at those standing to sit down, and the ones standing yelled at the ones sitting to stand up. The rabbi, educated as he was in the Law and commentaries, didn't know what to do. His congregation suggested ...

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