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 126 to 150 of 655 results

126. Counting The Cost - Sacrifice

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Donald Dotterer

... ' teaching reminds us, anything that is worthwhile in life has a cost. There is indeed a high price to be paid for anything that is really worth having. There must be sacrifice. There must be a fairness that requires the giving up of our selfish inclinations. In order to live life fully and happily, we must be people who are able to count the cost in almost every area of living. Marriage is one of those institutions which demands a high personal cost. The church's wedding ritual begins with these sobering ...

127. But God Can

Luke 7:11-17

Sermon

Larry Powell

... jar containing a lighted torch in his left. Allow the absurdness of the situation to settle into your consciousness. A diminished, token force, armed only with trumpets and earthen jars containing torches. Isn't it possible that at least one soldier may have felt inclined to remind Gideon that Israel was preparing for war instead of a midnight parade? At Gideon's command, the 300 surrounded the Midianite camp. At the signal, the trumpets were blown, the jars loudly smashed, and each man cried out at the top ...

128. A Faith That Burns

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... bloodshed. What is disturbingly clear in the biblical account is: not only is God praised by the Hebrew slaves for their deliverance from bondage, but the Holy One is credited with having masterminded the whole plot, including the bloodshed. Our instinctive inclination is to dismiss such a dreadful bias in the story by claiming, for ourselves, a less bloodthirsty understanding of God; one which pictures God taking little lambs into the Divine bosom and gently leading those who are with young. We, thereby ...

129. Two Doors; One Choice

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... penitent believers to pass customs at the borders of the kingdom. Righteousness and repentance are what pleases God. Righteousness means living a morally superior life while repentance means being sorry for our sinful nature and bending our evil wills away from their natural inclinations in order to make them conform to God's will. Obedience to the divine will is seen as the narrow doorway that leads to heaven and it swings on the rusty hinges of "shoulds" and "oughts." "You should do this" "You ought not ...

130. Do You Believe In Peace? - Memorial Day

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Erskine White

... in peace?" everyone of us would say, "yes." Everyone wants peace and everyone believes that real peace would be a blessing to the earth. But if I asked, "Do you believe that peace is possible and that war can be abolished?" many of us would be inclined to say "no," and we could certainly be excused for having our doubts. Someone has calculated that between 1500 B.C. and 1860 A.D., a period of roughly 3,300 years, more than eight thousand peace treaties have been signed. Eight thousand treaties designed to ...

131. The President's Religion

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Erskine White

... in a landslide victory for President Ronald Reagan over the Democratic nominee, Walter Mondale. A few of the references which follow are particular to that election, but the basic message of this sermon will be valid in other election years as well, since the inclination to use God for partisan purposes is well-rooted in our national history.) Have you noticed that as we get closer to Electon Day, we hear more and talk more about God on the campaign trail? More and more politicians want to be theologians ...

132. Wedding: Christian Love

Sermon Aid

John M. Braaten

... the fact that we're often rebellious and not very lovable. So pray for patience. It is the embryo of compassion, and it will give to your home the warm glow of kindness. Love does not insist on its own way. This is a hard saying, because we are all inclined to want to get our own way. But marriage requires that we recognize our mate is accustomed to getting his or her way, too. So we recall our God who did not count the cost but gave his Son for us all. In love you should follow God's example ...

133. Lent 5

John 7:45--8:11, Psalm 126:1-6, Isaiah 43:14-28, Philippians 3:1-11, Luke 20:9-19, John 12:1-11

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... Lutheran propers also use this psalm on the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, which is also the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.) Psalm 28:1-3, 7-11 (L) - This prayer of a person who is in trouble could be put into the mouth of Jesus Christ, if one is inclined toward emphasizing the Passion of Our Lord at this time in Lent, or it could be the cry of penitents, who know their predicament and realize that God is the only one who can help them. The last five verses highlight the kind of joy that is in the ...

134. Proper 9

Galatians 6:11-18, Galatians 6:1-10, 1 Kings 21:1-29, Isaiah 66:1-24, Psalm 66:1-20, Luke 10:1-24

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... , C) In his own inimitable manner, Paul appends a personal note to the end of his letter to the Galatians, exhorting them to be faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is their peace and their only hope. He rejects any inclination they may have to imitate Judaism and circumcision, reminding them that crucifixion (along with baptism into Jesus' death) has replaced circumcision. In mortality and ethics, they should be Christ-like, reproving sinners with "gentleness," teaching the word to each other, and ...

135. Christ Is Coming…

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

James Garrett

... the Holy Spirit functions to keep life human, where love is the rule. Our Lord said, “Look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Frederick Buechner wrote of the ever-appealing Christmas story: As for myself, the longer I live, the more inclined I am to believe in miracles. I suspect if we had been there at the birth of Christ, we would have seen and heard things that would be hard to reconcile with modern science. But that is not the point. The gospel writers are not really ...

136. Overcoming The Blues

1 Kings 19:1-8

Sermon

Robert Allen

... owner and in the beginning, it had nothing to do with religion. But, Baalism gradually became a god, a god that offered his followers the things human instincts crave, a god of the flesh, a god who encouraged his people to follow their natural inclinations. Baalism was worshiped in indulgence, expressed in lust, and adored in selfishness. Baalism had no inhibitions and simply said, “If it feels good, do it!” Elijah saw the danger and called the people of Israel to make a choice. He said: “If the Lord ...

137. Black Preaching: A Four-Cornered Universe

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... from our cognitive structure patterns to the melodic way we turn our phrases, for there is an incessant beat to our striving, a rhythmic pulsation, a fluidity of movement, a penchant to elevate our spirituality to higher levels of self-realization. The poetic inclination of black preaching captures the essence of black life and culture in America as does no other medium. For black people, then, the rhythms and dynamics of how things are said are just as significant as the content of what is said. Part ...

138. Joy Songs, Trumpet Blasts, And Hallelujah Shouts!

Joshua 5:13--6:27

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... conquest. God had anointed the clergy to take an important role in this victory. God's spiritual plan took precedence over the military plan. The military leaders had to rely upon the spiritual leaders for direction and impetus. God wanted it this way, for God knew how inclined the people were to disobey their leadership, as in the case of Moses. God knew that God had to re-establish the authority of the clergy if the people were to enjoy success in the new land, and that's why God had them lead the way ...

139. Playing By A Different Set Of Rules

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon

Larry Goodpaster

... the various expressions of evil in our world? Shall we name them and forget about them? Shall we ignore their presence and deny their power? Realistically, we know that we do not live in a perfect society and that human beings have the inclination to make a general mess of the created order. Whether it takes the form of dehumanizing depictions of sexual violence on the screen, of suggestive lyrics, of environmental pollution, or of the tragedies of greed and self-serving possessiveness, the presence of evil ...

140. Revealed Glory

Exodus 16:1-36

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

... there was morning -- another day. Evening always preceded morning. God experienced darkness in the very beginning and that is obviously tantamount to evening followed by morning. So, there is meat in the evening and all the bread desired in the morning. Some of us might be inclined to take the evening meat and the morning bread and make a sandwich that would put McDonald's and Burger King out of business. But, let us keep in mind that the intent of the text is to deal with the complaints of the Israelites ...

141. The Promised Land

Eulogy

Joe Barone

... think we shared a common faith in what I’d call “a saving God.” Did you hear the power of the prayer the psalmist prayed? “Thou art my God’ be gracious to me, O Lord,” the psalmist prayed. He’d already talked about his problems. He’d asked God to incline his ear because, as he put it, “I am poor and needy.” But he prayed in faith, knowing God is God, and God’s the one who saves. “I give thanks to thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify thy name for ever,” the ...

142. An Our Good Works And Generosity

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... , I say to you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret ... (Matthew 6:5-6)" Even our prayer is tainted by our quest for worldly reward or merit. How often are we inclined to tell our dear ones or acquaintances that we have prayed for them in a time of need. What really is our motive for reporting this to the one for whom we say we have prayed? Is our need to report on our prayer life to others related just a ...

143. What Happens To You When You Die?

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... the idea of a soul floating up there somewhere in heaven. Rather, we proclaim a resurrection of our bodies. Christians, what happens to you when you die? We believe in the resurrection of the body. In the modern church we have not been too inclined to grapple with questions concerning some end time in the future (future eschatology). For me, it has always seemed sufficient to concern ourselves with our relationship with God right now. The supposition is that if you know that God truly loves you, then ...

144. Led By The Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... attention on asking what it is that Jesus and God want? Have we really let him be our Shepherd? No, too often here, as in virtually every congregation, Jesus' voice has been an unfamiliar one (for both the lay people and their pastor). We have been too inclined to do what we thought best, what we liked. An active congregation like this one is wonderful. The involvement of such a large segment of our congregation in our decision-making can be a blessing. But it is only a blessing if we accept the invitation ...

145. The Meeting Of Marriage Partners At The Well

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... , and he may have thought that by getting away he could avoid a premature final confrontation with them early in his ministry. The most direct route north to Galilee was through the region of Samaria. Yet a good Jew of Jesus' day would often be inclined to avoid this region. The problem with Samaria was the people who lived there. They were not good Jews. They were not pure Jews by heredity; they were Jews who had been ethnically mixed over generations of mixed marriages with the Arab race. The people ...

146. The Resurrection Is Freedom

John 11:38-44

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die (John 11:25-26)." The promise of the resurrection and the new life that goes with it are ours. Of course, when we talk this way about the resurrection we are inclined to think of it as something that lies ahead of us somewhere in the distant future. The story of the raising of Lazarus throws new light on that matter. After all, Lazarus' resurrection was not far off in the future. It happened that very day that Jesus came ...

147. A Good Thing To Know

Luke 19:11-27

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

... did it relate to the things seen and heard while visiting with Zacchaeus? What did the Jews hear? What did the disciples hear? Why did Luke tell the story? And finally, what value do all these things have for us, 20 centuries later? There is an immediate inclination to make the story a simple allegory. Jesus could be the "nobleman" and his journey to the "far country" could be a reference to the coming days in the tomb or the ascension and the return of glory. But Jesus could not be defined as the servant ...

148. Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian

Drama

Thomas A. Renquist

... the water towards his Lord who had said to him, “Come,” Schweitzer preached: Reader 2: “Do not stay where you are, but move ahead, move towards Jesus!… Do not ask yourself whether the road is firm or practicable, fit for the man who follows his inclinations, but look only to see that it is really the road that leads straight to Jesus.” Reader 1: In a letter to a friend, he explained his decision to leave everything to become a medical missionary: Reader 2: “Now we sit here and study theology ...

149. The Burning Bush Within Us

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Justin Tull

... you haven’t, let me speak it clearly so you may hear: “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.” This is our overriding call. This is our first calling. This is the calling before our profession, before our major, before our wants, before our inclinations -- love God fully, love neighbor selflessly. Moses heard God from out of the bush. Where will you hear him? Did you hear him speak today? Do you know he cares? Have you responded to his call? 4. Moses heard another word from the bush. The Spirit ...

150. Does Love Make You Sorry?

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... ." But how does love make you feel sorry and say you are sorry for your sins? It is as simple as this: If we do not love a person, we do not care what harm comes to him. When one whom we do not care for gets hurt, we are inclined to say, "Good for you. Too bad it was not worse." The young man, who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in Vatican Square, said at his trial, "If I could, I'd do it again." Obviously there was no love for the Pope on his part. When we ...

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