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 1301 to 1325 of 1913 results

1301. Living Sacrifices

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

William J. Carl

If we’re really honest we have to admit that Peter speaks for all of us when he rebukes Jesus for saying that he would soon suffer. The main reason Peter does this is that following a God who suffers means we will probably have to suffer, too. Sure enough we were right; for immediately after Jesus puts Peter in his place, he says, “Those who want to be my followers must first deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow me.” What Peter probably figured out right from the beginning was that he would ...

1302. What's In The Final Exam?

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

George Johnson

When I was serving as Director of the Hunger Program for the former American Lutheran Church, I preached at various congregations on Sunday mornings. They would often ask me, "Should we read the Matthew 25 passage for the scripture lesson?" This text is a favorite for any gathering around hunger and poverty issues. I've used it often when I speak about hunger. But the text has a far greater scope and purpose than to muster up a concern for hungry people. The story was not told by Jesus as a fund-raising ...

1303. Breakfast on the Beach

John 21:1-14

Sermon

Steven Burt

There is a handful of narratives about Jesus’ appearance after the empty tomb. Several center around the empty tomb itself, like the one in which the angels say Jesus is risen, or the one where Jesus himself appears and says to Mary Magdalene, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” And there’s an appearance to the disciples when he says to doubting Thomas, “Go ahead, stick your hand in my wound and be sure it’s really me.” Another time Jesus walks along the road to Emmaus with two ...

1304. Small Church Communion

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Steven Burt

A while ago I attended a wedding at a Roman Catholic church on suburban Long Island. I had never been there before, and when I drove into the parking lot and saw the church, I was stunned. It was huge, almost twice as big as the high school I attended, where our graduating class consisted of 76 students. Inside it was more of the same. The sanctuary was like a small cathedral and it awed me. It could seat between 1,500 and 2,000 comfortably, and the 125 who came for the wedding were swallowed up in it. The ...

1305. The Gospel Of Christmas

John 1:1-18

Sermon

James Garrett

A wife gave her husband two ties for Christmas. He, being an obedient and peace-loving man, went immediately and put on one of the ties. He returned to the kitchen where his wife was preparing breakfast. Seeing he had one of the ties on she asked: “What’s the matter, don’t you like the other tie?” Through the Advent season we read Luke’s story of the coming of the Lord and of his birth. These weeks leading up to today, Christmas, we have made preparations. We have anticipated with great expectancy the ...

1306. The First Christmas Message

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

James Garrett

The story of the birth of Jesus as told by Luke is the most familiar to most people. The familiarity of the story can be a frustrating thing for the preacher. Who is capable of rising to an occasion on which the most beautiful text of the Bible is read? It makes the preacher turn pale and stammer. However, the familiar can be the preacher’s delight. That the text and message are familiar means they already belong to you, the listeners. There is power, enjoyment, and an occasional “amen” when we hear what ...

1307. Not Defeated But Victorious

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

For a Cancer Victim Preached at a service of a boyhood friend who died at fifty after a long, painful struggle with cancer. His victory over his affliction was a great inspiration to family and friends. In the Old Testament we read that one day King David was visibly shaken and sad of heart. A close friend, a loyal commander of his army, and a distinguished hero had been killed. When King David recovered from his shock he turned to his servants and said: "Do you know that a prince and a great man has ...

1308. For of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 19:13-15

Sermon

Charles L. Koester

Death on the School Playground __________ was ten years old when his hfe ended tragically through a childish experiment of holding his breath and attempting to render himself unconscious. I recall the trick was not uncommon when I was a child. Expelling all possible breath a fellow classmate was asked to hold you tightly in a bear hug from the back. On the school playground this was done to ___________. Following release he staggered around, screamed, and fell to the ground unconscious. It was later ...

1309. The Public Effect Of Private Living

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Robert Allen

It happens so often that it seems almost routine to our modern world. We read or listen to certain stories with interest and then we make little jokes about how the private morality of people becomes public information. A U.S. Congressman is found guilty of having sex with a 16-year-old and the story becomes headline news. Jim Wright becomes the first speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives ever to resign his office over ethic violations. He was charged with 69 violations of House rules. The public ...

1310. It's Performance That Counts

Matthew 7:15-23, Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

Larry Goodpaster

Nothing aggravates me more than buying something that does not work when I get it home. Whether it is purchased at a local store or through the latest mail-order catalog, if the item does not live up to its advertised promises, I feel cheated. Most people do not mind spending money on those objects of their desiring, some of them necessary, others frivolous, provided they live up to the expectations which were made on the packaging. At one time or another, I suppose, we are all tricked by the slick ...

1311. Moving Words

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Larry Goodpaster

On the surface, this reading from Matthew’s gospel is a strange sounding, and somewhat puzzling passage. It is one we could easily dismiss since it is specifically addressed to the original 12 disciples. The text is part of a lengthy chapter detailing the instructions Jesus gives to those 12 prior to that first “missionary” effort. Since this appears to be a private tutoring lesson for Jesus’ small class of first century followers, we excuse ourselves from paying attention to the words. What could they ...

1312. Redrawing The Landscape

Multiple Scriptures

Sermon

Harold Warlick

One summer's day my wife and I journeyed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to attend a conference. We packed early in the morning and joined a colleague and his wife for breakfast. The other couple was also attending the Pittsburgh conference. After saying "goodbye" to our friends, we indicated that we would see them at the hotel in Pittsburgh. We were leaving directly from the breakfast while they were not leaving for another two or three hours, after they went home, packed, and took their children to the ...

1313. Where Does That Leave Us?

Mark 13:1-31, Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

Where does this Scripture leave us? Jesus compares the fig tree with the Day of Judgment. The fig tree’s leaves, sun s darkening, the moon giving no light, and the stars falling -- all are signs of the final day of the Lord. Then it is that the Son of man comes in clouds with great power and glory, and he sends out angels to gather in the elect. Many denominations spend a great deal of energy trying to figure out, “Is it the time yet?” Intense diligence goes into collating Scripture with wars and natural ...

1314. Good News!

Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Sermon

Ron Lavin

From your childhood, think of some good news which came to you suddenly. Maybe it was the announcement of a new baby in the family, or a new puppy. Maybe it was the announcement of a vacation or your first trip to Disneyland. Get in touch with the feeling of good news. That's especially helpful when there is so much bad news around. We certainly hear enough bad news these days. Newspapers, television, and radio bombard us daily with news like: "Pam Am Jet Down;" "258 People Killed;" "Bomb Suspected;" "1 , ...

1315. A Good Thing To Know

Luke 19:11-27

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

This is one of those times when our gospel lesson tells us too little! To understand today's parable we must first understand the reference to "these things." Events previously reported are the important antecedents to today's reading. "As they heard these things, he [Jesus] proceeded to tell a parable." Luke assumes that his readers know what "things" they (and Jesus' original audience) have been hearing. As we hear the lesson read, we have little chance of knowing. Few are likely to remember that "these ...

1316. Checking The Vital Signs

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

It was Easter Sunday. One thousand, seven hundred fifty showed up for worship that day. Boy, was this place full! And it really felt good. We sang some of the same hymns as today. I gave the kids red Easter eggs and my sermon title was: “Don’t Be Alarmed.” The main idea was that Christ is alive and with us, so there need not be any event or situation in our lives here that should scare us. In addition, even at our death and the death of the people we love, we need not have any fear since Christ has come ...

1317. Recollections of Mary -- Dramatic Monologue

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Drama

Robert A. Morgan

Children, I just can't sit down with you now. I have too much work to do for our guests. Yes, yes, I will sit down with you later this evening, just before you go to bed. Yes, I'll tell you the story of the baby again. I know, I know. I love the story, too. It's only once in a great while that I wish I hadn't told you! Mostly, I'm glad I told you, even though it has meant repeating it over and over and over again. Yes, you go out and play for just a little longer, and then Mother will call you, and we'll ...

1318. Step Four - Courage

Mt 26:69-75 · Acts 9:1-9 · Ps 139:1-6

Sermon

John A. Terry

Step four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. The psalmist talks of the God before whom such a searching and fearless moral inventory is both possible and necessary. Ours is a God who, in traditional language, is omniscience and omnipresent, a God who knows all and is everywhere. This Psalm is sometimes called the Psalm of the unavoidable God. We believe that before our God there are no secret thoughts or actions. All is known by our God. I remember hearing a lecture one time where ...

1319. A Great Light (Sermon for Candlelight Service)

Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon

Brett Blair

The Christmas story begins in darkness. There was the darkness of oppression, for God's people were a conquered people. They were a beaten and a defeated people. There was the darkness of persecution. Indeed, it was a despised universal taxation that brought the participants in the story together on that fateful night. There was the darkness of disillusionment. There was an ever-increasing number who felt that violence, not faith, was the most effective path. Yes, on that first Christmas, the mood was one ...

1320. The Clanking of Coins

Matthew 27:1-10

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

Suppose that I tingled a batch of coins in my pocket or dropped some quarters on a marble floor. If you were to close your eyes and listen to the sound that money makes, what would it remind you of? ... A bank teller spilling out a deposit for counting?... A child shaking a piggy bank in hopes that a coin will slip through the slot?... A clerk dropping the money from your purchase into a register?... An expectant gambler at the fair, trying to make a penny land between the lines?... A woman searching ...

1321. A House Or A Home?

Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

R. E. Lybrand

"Now then," Joshua continued, "honor the Lord and serve him sincerely and faithfully. Get rid of the gods which your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord. If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve the Lord." A family moved to a new city where the father's company had transferred him. This ...

1322. The Cross And Our Shadows

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Carl Jech

Many of us grew up singing the hymn "Beneath the Cross of Jesus" with it's memorable line: "I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place ..." This image of "the shadow of the cross" has been used in many different ways by poets and writers. In the hymn, it refers to a place of refuge and rest "from the burning of the noon-tide heat and the burdens of the day." The hymn also refers to the strength-giving character of the cross by comparing it to "the shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land." Surely ...

1323. Jesus Reflects -- A Dramatic Monologue

Isaiah 9:1-7, Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Drama

Edward G. Hunter

Jesus of Nazareth speaks: This is the 33rd year since my birth, and in my travels I have come to Bethlehem several times. But, this is the first time I have been here on the night of my birth. I felt drawn here this year, for somehow I instinctively feel I will be unable to visit it again. I know those who oppose me seek to silence me, and I fear before long they may succeed. But, I did not come here to reflect on such thoughts. I have come to see once again the place where my mother brought me into the ...

1324. As We Take Our Rest

Matthew 26:17-30

Drama

Joe Barone

[Note: This week we walk with Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane, and as we do, we look through the point of view of James, one of the sons of Zebedee.] Dramatic Monologue: James I don't suppose you can ever understand what it is that really touches me when I think about the Garden of Gethsemane. When you think about it, you might think I would feel a sense of my own sinfulness. That's what so many people seem to feel when they hear the story. After all, we fell asleep. Not just once, but three times, we ...

1325. Prayers for Year A

Bulletin Aid

William S. Carter

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT · Matthew 24:37-44 Come, Lord, in whatever way you choose. Get through to us even today, and prepare us to receive your entrance into our lives; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and rules with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, within our world today. Amen. Alternate · Matthew 21:1-11 Come, Lord, we praise your entrance into our lives. Give us clear voices to tell your story, with happiness and joy and expectation; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and ...

Showing results