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 1276 to 1300 of 1964 results

1276. The Shepherd's Song

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... after me every day of my life until I'm back home in the house of God forever. I have been blessed by the lives of wonderful saints in every church I have been privileged to serve. Christine McVannel was one of them. She was a warm, gracious, loving and lovable member of Court Street Church in Flint. Everyone who knew her knew she kept a little brown notebook with her favorite prayers and readings as her constant companion. It was filled with clippings and jotted notes, favorite Bible verses and well-worn ...

1277. A Circle for Dorothy

Ephesians 2:11-22, Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... . He tells the story of visiting Prague with a tour group in those days of oppression. In the group was a woman named Dorothy. It seems every tour group has a Dorothy—probably a retired school teacher, probably second grade, with a benign face, warm smile, gentle voice, and more curiosity than she could handle. Invariably, she would lose interest in the major sights, the landmarks and the tourist destinations, and amble off after a pack of school children or follow her curiosity down one of those narrow ...

1278. Only Matthew…Only Joseph

Matthew 1:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... . You are entrusted with the task... ...of preserving the gift ...of nurturing the message ...of caring for the good news." And maybe that's why we prefer Luke's version. Perhaps we prefer an Advent focused on looking back across the ages to the warm memories of shepherds in the fields and silent nights, a baby in a barn and adoring angels. Perhaps we prefer a Hallmark Christmas by Currier and Ives or the Thomas Kincaid version, all misty in glowing candlelight and glimmering snow, and of course Luke ...

1279. Why Not Now?

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... of us. Here, in my forties, I learned that I am worthy of God's love, His Kingdom and His grace. In fact, it is by this grace that I am saved. Church at FUMC went beyond the message. There were services in various worship styles, there were warm, friendly people greeting me, there were programs to reach out to the community, there was music unlike any that I had ever heard before, there were small groups…and did I mention the friendly people? Church became people. WOW! I really wanted to be a part of this ...

1280. What a Serve!

Acts 6:1-7

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... days of the early church: What does it profit if a person says he has faith, but has not works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled" without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith, by itself, if it has not works, is dead. (James 1:22 and 2:14) But the good news is, Stephen "Found the Way." He found the way to a balanced life of ...

1281. High Noon

Psalm 91:1-16

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... accomplished, our work is well on its way, with much still to be done. A central season of life. Later the quiet hush of early evening and the end of the day. Up north on June 21, the hours of sunlight slowly fade into a warm sunset in the late evening. And even long after the sun has disappeared, a lingering glow brightens the horizon, like the sunset years of life, lingering at the end of life's day. Finally, the dark of night. Sometimes frightening, sometimes comforting, always mysterious and wonderful ...

1282. Searching: MySpace

Hebrews 11:8-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... , the world is so different. At that time, there were no wars raging that I knew of, and we thought drugs were something you would find only in the slums of New York. AIDS was yet to be unleashed upon the world and we had yet to hear of global warming or "terrorism" and the war which also carries its name. But like you, at 12 or 13 years old I was searching to find a place to stand, to find an identity to make sense of my life, to get to know who I was…"MySpace" in the world. And ...

1283. Yet Alive....Are We?

Romans 12:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... the other day when I literally bumped into a woman in the checkout line. After my apology, we fell into a casual conversation. Before I knew what was happening, she was telling me about her church and what it meant in her life…a warm, genuine witness; not pushy, but passionate. I love the story of Peter Cartwright, circuit rider and sort of the Garrison Keillor of early American Methodism. In his old age, he looked back with longing: When I consider the insurmountable difficulties and disadvantages that ...

1284. What Ever Happened to Norman Rockwell?

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... one of his works specifically for Mother's Day, but images of family abound, and the loving mothers imaged in his work come through as a tribute to all our moms. Today, I'm thinking of another of the Four Freedoms, "Freedom from Want." It shows a warm image of a family joyfully gathered around the Thanksgiving table with Grandma presenting the turkey to Grandfather for carving. As I say, I've never figured out how you could carve the bird at the table without making a huge mess! The image was an icon of ...

1285. Singing at the Table

Joel 2:21-29

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... , yes, even then, the prophet says, "Sing and be glad…for God will give you a new day." And in passing, take note. The song includes the beasts of the field and the land itself. You see why ecology is, at its heart, a theological issue and global warming is a spiritual issue…the whole earth is invited to join in the song. The great Mozart was obviously brilliant. Gifted, we would say. He composed his first symphony at eight years old. His meteoric career was cut short by a death which came all too soon ...

1286. From the Tomb

John 20:1-18

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... closely-knit friends in days like this? Sitting around the dining room table, then moving toward the family room, sort of bumping into each other, no one quite knowing what to say. Then someone says, "Remember when he…" and it trails off into choked tears or warm laughter which brings on its own tears. Another recalls, "Ah, you know I used to love it when…" And another, "I'll never forget the time…" The long hours passed and the sunset of Saturday brought the end of the Sabbath. Once again, the dark ...

1287. In the Upper Room

John 17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... within the life of the church was for our benefit, to make us feel good, comfortable and caring. I remember another one of the small churches I served early in my ministry. I remember a woman named Goldie, truly one of the saints, who helped create a warm, caring fellowship within the congregation. She was pure gold. I can remember her saying, "Oh, we just love our little church…it's just like family." And it was. If you were part of the family, it was wonderful. But if you were an outsider—a newcomer ...

1288. Out of Solitude

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... so should we. Rev. Ralph Richardson was the pastor of my baptism and confirmation. Can you believe he met with a bunch of seventh graders every Saturday morning for confirmation? Honestly, I don't remember much he taught us, but I will never forget his warm, gentle spirit. I remember his love of poetry and I remember him quoting from the American poet John Greenleaf Whittier: O sabbath rest of Galilee O calm of hills above, where Jesus knelt to share with thee, the silence of eternity, interpreted by love ...

1289. Worship Like A Wesley

Philippians 4:4-9

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... of Oxford University, it grew up on the American frontier. 2. OUR WORSHIP HAS ALWAYS BROUGHT TOGETHER A LOVE FOR LITURGY WITH THE REVIVAL FIRE OF THE FRONTIER. Here, on this continent, Methodist circuit riders spread the message of personal salvation and the warm heart of the Wesleys, with a passion and vitality that ultimately reshaped the American frontier—an evangelistic revival of the spirit which was carried in the hymnals stuffed in the saddle bags of the circuit riders who moved from town to town ...

1290. In Celebration of American Thanksgiving

Philippians 4:2-9, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Illustration

... our blood side by side, struggling for the same ideals, and joined together until the triumph of the great causes which we serve has been made manifest.” But there is a greater thanksgiving day, which still shines ahead, which beckons the bold and loyal and warm-hearted. And that is when this union of action which has been forced upon us by our common hatred of tyranny, which we have maintained during those dark and fearful days, shall become a lasting union of sympathy and feeling and loyalty and hope ...

1291. Wake Well, Wake Welcome

Romans 13:8-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of a tradition of “two sleeps.” Every 24 hours used to be divided into a day of “work” and a night of “two sleeps.” When the sun set and the warmth left the air, it was time for the “early sleep.” But the demands of keeping a warm house, tending to children, or just keeping an attentive ear out for intruders, necessarily meant this “early sleep” might be brief. After waking from a couple hours of “first sleep,” this gap of time in the midst of the night was a traditional moment for ...

1292. Spell My Name With An “H”

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16, Psalm 22:23-24

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard me when I cried to him. (Psalm 22:23-24) Collect A bulb was planted before the cold of winter. It has been sheltered and nurtured beneath fallen leaves and snow banks. The Son is among us, warming our hearts. Promises were given. Now it bursts into flower. Truth reigns. Amen. Prayer Of Confession God of Sarai, God of Sarah, nothing much changes when we trust in you. Everything changes when we trust in you. We claim the name you have chosen for us, and ...

1293. A Sense Of Past And Future

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship Once again a new year, once again the old favorites of fierce winter and warm fires. Once again a new season, once again familiar words that call to us your people. Once again a new life, once again the perspective that comes with trust in your seasons, trust in your presence, trust in your word! Collect A time to be born and a time to ...

1294. God Chooses The Poor

James 2:1-13, James 2:14-26, Psalm 146:1-10

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... sets the prisoners free; All: the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. (Psalm 146:1-8) Collect Lord, grant us your peace as we pledge in this worship to keep those who shiver warm and those who hunger filled. Our faith to be true faith must live! Let your Spirit flow through us, granting us new life and vision. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Always the outsider, Lord, always the new heart in Christ. Not those of us on the board, those who ...

1295. Weaving the Spirit’s Trail

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... they had been brought out of the earth to live in their southwestern lands by “Spider-Man” (no, not the comic book guy!). Then they had been taught to weave by none other than “Spider-Woman.” Weaving the blankets that kept their people warm, dry, and protected was a sacred skill. As Navajo weavers perfected their art and artistry, they developed the tradition of the “Spirit trail” or the “weaver’s path.” The “Spirit-trail” is created by the weaver deliberately forming a break in the ...

1296. Pray, Baby, Pray

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in a re-enactment of the Big Bang. How’d it do? You guessed it. It broke down only after being “on-line” for a few hours. But the cooling unit that failed was soon replaced and within a week the LHC was back in service, warming up, or more accurately cooling down (since the protons must be kept at a crisp -459 degrees Fahrenheit, or absolute zero Kelvin), for its potential first smash ups. The LHC is located outside Berne, Switzerland, the crossing between the French and Swiss border. Originally it ...

1297. When What’s Holding You Up Lets You Down

2 Samuel 18:33-19:8

Sermon

Shirley Gupton Lynn

... I gradually set new goals. Little by little the door opened to education, ordination, and a ministry of my own. (2) We can swing into action by setting new goals, and by deepening our faith. Faith in Christ as Lord is a choice of the will, not a warm fuzzy feeling. Faith that God will bring growth out of calamity is a choice of the will. The action to undergird all others is to understand ourselves as loved, forgiven and empowered by Christ no matter what life hands us. Like David, when what's holding us up ...

1298. The Parable of the Choices

Matthew 21:28-31

Sermon

Shirley Gupton Lynn

... wet. The strong young man was crying. "What is it, Billy?" I asked, shocked to my senses. "Do you have troubles, too?" "No," he replied, still holding me, "I'm just crying with you." Now I have always loved Billy. He is my son. We've always had a warm relationship, but after that day it has never been the same. His loving me enough to suffer for me touched something in me that raised our relationship to a higher plane than it had ever been. Only when I saw his suffering could I realize and believe how very ...

1299. Accepting the Lord Once Again

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... the cries of the poor and the marginalized in our society. We must see all as our sisters and brothers. As Saint James (2:15-17) reminds us, "If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,' and yet do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So the faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." Bringing the light of Christ to others is our Christian call; it should be a principle action of our lives ...

1300. Momentous Moment

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

David T. Ball

When visiting another church one time, a thought occurred to me as I waited in my pew for communion to be served. It was during the Advent season, and the service had warmed us with words of hope and light. It was also the first Sunday of the month, which in that church meant communion Sunday. As the service shifted from Advent to communion, it struck me that, you know, we do this fairly often. Celebrate communion, that is. Once a month. We ...

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