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 101 to 125 of 145 results

101. Grand Opening

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... the traveling stargazers from Matthew's gospel, we may enter the whole drama of Christ's birth now, really for the first time. At Epiphany, the drama of the nativity ceases to be a show with an entirely Jewish cast of characters. We may sometimes have felt empathy with the clumsy poet whose little bit of humorous verse went: "How odd of God, to choose the Jews.1 This provoked an equally good-natured response: "Not odd of God, Goyim annoy 'im."2 Yet, because of the story we share on Epiphany, we may know ...

102. Agony and Ecstasy

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Steven Molin

... with grief-stricken people, and he is overcome with emotion. Here is the shortest verse in the Bible, and many a preacher has made the joke of taking time to memorize it, but that's unfortunate, because these two words provide for us a view of the empathy of God. "Jesus wept." That's how the gospel writer describes it, and no more words are even necessary. God — the creator of the cosmos — God cried when a man died. And even then, there were the nay-sayers standing by, asking "He gave sight to the ...

103. How Much Is That Preacher?

Illustration

Jean Shaw

... our church wants to be revitalized. Haven't you got something less revolutionary? Well, would you like someone of the social worker type? We have this Ghetto #130. The man with the beard? Good gracious, no. Mrs. Penner would never go for that. How about our Empathy #41C? His forte is counseling. Very sympathetic. Patient. Good with people who have problems. Everyone in our church has problems. But he might not get out and visit new people. We really need a man who does a lot of visitation. You see, all our ...

104. The Glow of a Star

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Time, April 7, 2003. 7. Rabbi Emeritus Arthur Rulnick, http://www.thewjc.org/sermons/tolerance.htm. 8. http://matthewmoore.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/sermon-mark-426/. 9. John A. Huffman Jr., http://www.preaching.com/sermons/11600669/page-4/. 10. Arthur P. Ciaramicoli, and Katherine Ketcham, The Power of Empathy (New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 2000).

105. Hebrews 13: 1-8; 15-16

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... In Hebrews 10:32-34 the author had praised this faith community for the compassion they showed towards those who were imprisoned. The reassertion of such an attitude is now elaborated again, but with an emphasis not just on compassion, but outright empathy. Because they are indeed all members of one body, the Body of Christ, believers are not just to extend themselves to prisoners. They are spiritually and emotionally to experience the pain of imprisonment themselves. They are to feel with their hearts and ...

106. Concluding Exhortations

Hebrews 13:1-25

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... :1–8 (cf. 19:1ff.), but possibly also to Gideon (Judg. 6:11–22), Manoah and the mother of Samson (Judg. 13:3–21), and Tobit (Tob. 5:4–9). The motif is therefore a familiar one in Jewish tradition. 13:3 The remembering of prisoners and empathy with those who suffer had already been admirably displayed by the readers in the past (10:33f.; cf. 6:10). They are called to exhibit these Christian virtues (cf. Matt. 25:36) again as present or imminent circumstances may warrant. NIV’s as if you yourselves ...

107. Weeping and Mourning

Micah 1:8-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... Matt. 9:16–17; John 12:24). And so the prophets grieve with God over the necessary destruction of his people, which will rid the community of its sinful ways. The sin of Israel does not prevent the prophets from loving Israel. Indeed, it calls forth their empathy and concern and finally heartbreak. Perhaps that is a fact to remember in the midst of the bitter disputes that so often trouble the modern church. Additional Note 1:9 Wound: Following the LXX, the noun is read in the singular to accord with the ...

108. Marriage, Sexual Intimacy, and Spiritual Devotion

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... how he used that situation and its effects to birth a testimony that is able to bless others in unexpected ways. Contrasting Concept: In a psychological phenomenon known as the Stockholm syndrome, hostages being abused and even tortured by captors develop feelings of empathy and sympathy with their captors. People have tried to explain this in many ways, but the bottom line is that these feelings are an irrational way in which the human psyche attempts to survive trauma by bonding with one’s tormentor and ...

109. The Priority of Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... transforming power. Love transforms speech into revelatory events of blessing and instruction. Love converts knowledge and wisdom from points of pride to instruments for counsel and guidance. Love relocates mountain-moving faith from the avenue of display to the path of empathy and help. Love even transports giving from the realm of self-gratification to the place of suffering and participation. 4. Paul’s contrast between the temporal nature of the gifts and the eternal nature of love leads him to give an ...

110. A Lifestyle of Holiness and Love

Leviticus 19:1-37

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... . They glean fields beside Israel’s poor (Lev. 19:10), rest on Sabbaths (Exod. 20:10), sacrifice to Yahweh (Num. 15:14), and keep Passover if circumcised (Exod. 12:48). The Israelites’ experience as foreigners in Egypt has given them a basis for empathy. “Love them as yourself” echoes Leviticus 19:18b. The foreigner is the Israelites’ neighbor too. Compare Jesus’s parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37). 19:35–36 Do not use dishonest standards. Scales were used to weigh grains of ...

111. Job Hears the Whispers of God’s Works

Job 26:1--31:40

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... every area, both personally and professionally, begins to fall apart. He starts to question his faith, turning to a number of rabbis with his questions. Instead of having helpful answers and engaging Larry in good discussions or even expressing genuine empathy, these religious men prove to be dense, incomprehensible, and indifferent. This surely represents how Job must feel when God seems distant. Literature: Ben Hur, by Lew Wallace. In this story published in 1880, the title character, Ben Hur, is unjustly ...

112. Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream and Daniel’s Interpretation: Part Two

Daniel 4:1-18, Daniel 4:19-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... reason for the execution of this verdict lies in the fidelity of the angels to the great king and his sovereign rule over the kingdoms of this world; he does not put up with anyone who exalts himself to godhood. Daniel’s response reveals empathy for the king. When the king encourages him to explain the vision, Daniel responds graciously: “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries!” (4:19). Then he proceeds with the explanation. The tree symbolizes the king ...

113. The Healing of a Deaf and Mute Man

Mark 7:31-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... spittle was often considered a healing agent. The “tradition of the elders” (7:1–23) forbade Jews from contacting unclean objects or persons, but in his intimate contact with this man by touch and spittle, Jesus demonstrates his embrace of Gentiles. The empathy of Jesus’s prayer in 7:34 and the concrete description of the healing in Greek (“the fetter of his tongue was broken” [NIV “his tongue was loosened,” 7:35]) suggest release from demonic bondage as well as physical healing. The command ...

114. Love

Romans 12:9-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... specifically, the application of Jesus’s teaching (cf. Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:27–28; for 12:18 cf. Mark 9:50; Matt. 5:9). Paul knows that life, including the life of Christians, is not free of trouble. He thus commands that believers have genuine empathy with others, whether they suffer or whether they have success (12:15). He calls believers to live in harmony with one another, which is possible if they banish pride, if they associate with people held in low esteem (as Jesus did and commanded; see Matt. 5 ...

115. Getting Under Someone's Skin

Matthew 5:7

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

... Aramaic which Jesus spoke, the word "merciful" means literally "to get under someone's skin." It means to wear his skin, as it were; to see life from his perspective, to stand in his shoes. It means more than sympathy; it means active empathy or merciful understanding. Let me illustrate. A prominent minister was holding a weekend seminar at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, several years ago. He kept noticing a man in the front row nodding sleepily. This aggravated the speaker. Preachers don't like for folks ...

116. Wounded Healers

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... , as well. We become strong at the broken places of our lives. Our wounds begin to heal because they are being used to give comfort and strength to others. Therefore, we can affirm, “My wounds were not the end of me. God took my wounds, my understanding, my empathy and has used them as a healing balm for the wounded.” And we are able to say with the Apostle Paul, “Oh, yes, I am more than a conqueror!” Being a Wounded Healer Means Healing the Wounds of Christ Some years ago, there was a very popular ...

117. The Calling of the First Disciples

Luke 5:1-11

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... Furthermore, whereas Mark tells us that after the cock crowed, Peter went outside and “wept” (14:72), Luke says that Peter “wept bitterly” (22:62). Luke’s editorial activity heightens the pathos of this scene, leaving the reader with a sense of empathy for the fallen Peter. Following Jesus’ resurrection, Mark only mentions the angel (or “young man”) at the tomb, who commands the frightened women to tell Peter and the disciples that Jesus will appear to them in Galilee (16:7), but no actual ...

118. Future Glory

Romans 8:18-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... and found a tragic conflict between his will and God’s law, here he looks outward and, with poetic sensitivity, sees the same conflict in the travail of creation. His inner wretchedness (7:24) is part of the outer world (8:20). In heartfelt empathy he speaks of creation “subjected to futility” (v. 20, RSV), in “bondage to decay” (v. 21), and “groaning as in the pains of childbirth” (v. 22). But with equal conviction he speaks of God. The Spirit is God’s “fifth column” who infiltrates ...

119. Marriage

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... of view. Since he had no desire or need to marry, he could not fully appreciate the importance of such a life for those who are gifted for so living. Marriage would have been a second-best arrangement for Paul (perhaps worse for his wife!), but he musters empathy and compassion as best he can by saying, if you do marry, you have not sinned … I want to spare you [many troubles in this life]. 7:29–31 Paul explains his reasoning in one long complex, compound sentence that makes up verses 29–31: What I ...

120. Job's Second Reply to Eliphaz

Job 16:1-17:16

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... are teetering on the brink of losing faith as the result of their experience of the dark, “God meant this for the good! He is trying to teach you something through it! Just trust that everything is going to be all right!,” we are most often showing little empathy or compassion for those who suffer. Our cheerful words of faith can be like rubbing salt in the wounds or slapping the face of one who is crying. Our words at such times may have more to do with shoring up our faith than with showing solidarity ...

121. Big Bubba Has Your Back

Revelation 21:1-6a

Sermon

King Duncan

... world. He is available to us now. He is a God of faithfulness, patience and infinite love. I read recently about a doctor whose faithfulness and patience mirrored to a small degree the faithfulness and patience of God. This doctor, years ago, had great empathy for children with Down syndrome. He decided that, with the right care, these children could learn how to function more fully in our society. This was at a time when most children with this condition were denied even the opportunity for the most basic ...

122. In Which City Do You Live?

Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... we do not know the neighbor on the other side of the wall much less on the other side of town. Journalist Gregory Favre claims that one of the most important, but least reported, stories of our time concerns our indifference and lack of empathy toward one another. He quotes Pope Francis, who said, “We have fallen into globalized indifference. We have become used to the suffering of others: it doesn’t affect me; it doesn’t concern me; it’s none of my business.” (2) Globalized indifference---that ...

123. An Invitation That Went Astray

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... Christian Picciolini. I say ironically because Christian spent eight years as a violent supporter and recruiter for the white supremacist movement. But while participating in a violent attack on an African-American man one day, Christian experienced a moment of empathy for his victim—a moment that eventually led him to repent of his racism and hatred and leave the white supremacist movement. Now Christian dedicates his time and energy to reaching people within the white supremacist movement and convincing ...

124. Unreasonable Mercy

2 Kings 5:1-27, Matthew 8:5-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in the story of the staff and deceased child earlier in the scriptures). To be leprous is not just to have peeling or white skin, but those areas would become numb, dead to touch. To have a “leprous” soul then would be to have a lack of compassion, empathy, or love, to be dead to mercy, only thinking of one’s self. Has Jesus gotten under your skin? Can you love unreasonably? Unconditionally? Or is your skin a façade for an ungrateful or unloving heart (a heart that believes one must pay for God’s ...

125. Bringing in the Sheaves

Ruth 1:1-22, Ruth 2:1-23, Ruth 3:1-18, Ruth 4:1-12, Ruth 4:13-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to sing it today together. Well, that song was written as a response to psalm 126 –the idea that we spend our lives working in God’s vineyard as His loyal and faithful servants, sowing the seeds of kindness, and many times, shedding tears of sorrow, pain, and empathy for a broken world. Some of those tears may be our own for the things we’ve endured in our own lives. Some may be for others. But many times, life isn’t easy, especially when you’re devoted to God amid a world enmeshed in conflict ...

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