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 1576 to 1600 of 2669 results

1576. Growing Up

1 Corinthians 13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... do it." To be fair, Jack Twist didn't have it right, either. But I am afraid Ennis's experience is too true of all too many children of all too many Methodists: a lack of clarity about our faith, a lack of conviction in our beliefs, and biblical illiteracy to boot. St. Paul's letters to the Corinthian church are written to a church torn by political and theological battles, a church unsure of its foundations and faith, a church struggling with issues of sexual morality and social pressure. So he reminds ...

1577. Called to be a Christian Community: Cracked Pots and Clay Jars

2 Corinthians 4: 1-18

Sermon

John E. Harnish

1578. Grasshopper Religion

Numbers 13:25-33, 14:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

1579. Praising God on an Oatmeal Box

2 Samuel 6:12-23

Sermon

John E. Harnish

1580. Worship Like A Wesley

Philippians 4:4-9

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... and the great big crowd breaks ranks and up they fly; while I took board on the sugar-in-the-gourd and I cleaned up the Methodist pie. O little children, I believe. O little children, I believe. O little children, I believe. I'm a Methodist, Methodist! 'Tis my belief I'm a Methodist till I die. Till old grim death comes knockin' at my door, I'm a Methodist till I die. On a more serious side, I can remember the days at Cherry Run Camp Meeting, singing the great gospel songs of faith: Justas I am, without one ...

1581. Precious and Privileged Children

Galatians 4:4-7

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... trouble with a love that has no boundaries. Then, in our most lucid moments it dawns on us the great God of the universe understands and loves us far beyond our wildest dreams. Some very fine churchgoers that I have known say such moments are far and few between. My belief is this is a problem with human perception. God is as near as we want him to be. There is no scarcity in this love that knows no bounds. There is no limit to his understanding of our lives and loved ones. We must learn to cry out more ...

1582. Looking Out for Others

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... likewise — at least at an idealistic level — wanted the same opportunities for others. We have always been a melting pot and continue to be. While at first this may not seem to have a direct bearing on Paul's teaching; it shows the influence of a definite belief in human rights. Truly, our nation has been a beacon to millions! Our Puritan fathers and mothers may not have understood this at first but there were forces that made them bend. Isn't it a glorious sight to watch others grow in the faith? That ...

1583. No-fault Religion

2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13), 14-17

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... . In his excellent book, The Spirit and the Forms of Love, Dr. Williams points out how important it is to admit the conflict and disorder in our human living. And, he adds, "Nothing is more common in human relationships, both for individuals and groups, than the belief that we are men of good will and all the ill will lies in the other." Dr. Williams continues, "The history of human pretenses, self-deception, and failure to see our hostility and resentment of the other is a constant theme of the world's ...

1584. Are You a Taker or a Giver?

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... Franks, "a computer whiz, a little philosopher, and a tiny lawyer, bursting with opinions on the president, on the best museums, the best vacation spots, and the college he thinks he will attend."2 But you will note there is nothing about religious beliefs or spiritual values or the idea of sharing with those in need. A social psychologist, speaking recently to a church group, spoke of the fantastic materialistic over-indulgence of children today. She related the story of her own child's friend's birthday ...

1585. Jesus Is the Recipe for Eternal Life

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... , but rather our ability to give of ourselves for others. This message is dramatically presented in Matthew's famous vision of the final judgment in chapter 25. Interestingly, here Jesus tells his disciples, and all of us as well, that it is not right belief that gains us the eternal life we seek, but rather how we treat our sisters and brothers. Clearly the recipe has now focused on right action. The Christian life is about our relationships with one another. Saint Paul, the great evangelist and teacher ...

1586. Make the Most of God’s Gifts

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... thus had a certain sense of urgency. Not only was he surrounded by those who opposed his views, but additionally and probably more fundamentally Paul firmly believed that Christ's promised return to claim the world, the Parousia, was imminent. This belief was certainly a major factor in Paul's teaching on marriage and vocation. Convinced that Jesus would soon return, Paul thought it wise to suggest to the Corinthians: "In whatever condition you were called, brothers and sisters, there remain with God ...

1587. Strength through Diversity

James 2:1-17

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... ). Saint James, in direct and challenging words, takes the message of Jesus and applies it to his audience, "the twelve tribes in the dispersion." Apparently partiality and favoritism have been practiced for James immediately equates such behavior with a lack of belief in Jesus. Thus, consistent with his basic message of an action-oriented Christianity, namely to be doers of the word and not merely listeners, James attacks the problem through example. This illustration is one to which we can all can relate ...

1588. God’s Wisdom or the World?

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... trust commit acts that cause others not only to lose faith in the individual, but in the system as well? Why do people fight one another and the only question between them is the color of their skin, their political preference, or religious belief? The basic answer to these challenging questions is personal choice, our free will to choose the wisdom of the world or that of God at any time in any way. Soren Kierkegaard, the famous nineteenth-century existentialist philosopher and theologian, once wrote ...

1589. In Solidarity with Jesus

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... differences in language, style, theme, and theology the letter was not from Paul's hand, but rather another Jewish Christian of Hellenistic background. Scholars also tell us that the letter was most probably addressed to Jewish Christians to assist those who wavered in their belief that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Torah. The author, therefore, at the outset sets forth his argument about the connection of the Messiah to God and God's people. We learn that God speaks to us through the Son, who has ...

1590. Where Is Love?

Hebrews 9:1-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... -meaning teachers and philosophers offering easy answers and easy solutions. Biblical scholars and historians have suggested that this easier alternate route to Easy Street was a kind of amalgamated heresy based on the pagan, gnostic (knowledge-based), and popular Jewish beliefs of their time and place. It might best be described as a kind of universalist "whatever works" religion like some of the New Age stuff floating around in today's religious neighborhood. As best these scholars can conjecture, this ...

1591. Practicing God’s Presence

Hebrews 10:11-25

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... Eden’s garden is now possible for all of us. Do we get it? Too often in the minds and lives of church folk, salvation is a human achievement. "I got saved" (back when) we say. Too often salvation, or heaven, becomes a consequence of right belief and doctrine or a reward for good conduct. That's really not too different from the preacher’s community and their mindset — right knowledge and proper ceremonial observance and timely sacrifices as the stepping-stones to eternal bliss. "Don't you get it?" the ...

1592. Looking in All the Wrong Places

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... were part of an urbanized culture similar to our own. The gathered community had believers from various pagan and Jewish backgrounds. Voices from the synagogue insisted that the path to wholeness lay in strict adherence to the rules (of the Jewish faith, that is). Belief in Jesus was tolerated at the time for the most part, yet they insisted that salvation lay in observing the Law. But many Gentiles saw little value in circumcision or dietary demands of the Old Testament. To the Greek way of thinking, what ...

1593. Believe It Or Not!

Isaiah 52:13--53:12, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... foolishness to others, One: but to those who are the called, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. All: For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. (Based on 1 Corinthians 1:18-25) Collect Beyond belief, beyond hope, beyond grief, beyond tears — how we desire to get beyond pain to resurrection. But we will bide together as God's people, staying awake, and watch with horror and amazement at what God has done for us. Amen.

1594. A Cup Of Cold Water

Mark 9:38-50

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... in us today and always. Collect Lord, grant us peace. Lord, grant us the courage to grasp peace. Lord, grant us the strength to become your peace. You have called us for such a time as this. We respond, not only with our presence here at worship, but our belief in you that sustains us all the days of our week. God of glory, our hearts long for your kingdom. Let your will done in our lives as your people. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Lord, we will not speak evil of other believers. There are so many cups of ...

1595. Thinking Abstractly

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

Kari Jo Verhulst

... simply have not developed the cognitive capacity to think abstractly. Yet long after we have developed the mental acuity to distinguish between dessert portions, the parable of the vineyard laborers still strikes us as unfair. No matter that Christians proclaim justification by faith, most of us hold on to the belief that we get what we deserve. Why else would we strive so hard to prove ourselves?

1596. The Blessing Complex

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... other through the spectacles of “blessing:” we think everyone we meet, and everywhere we go, needs a blessing. We can’t be reasoned out of it. Even if we are in the wealthiest home, or the wealthiest nation in the world, we have this irrational belief that even the wealthiest person in the world needs a blessing. And what is the blessing that they need? They need the blessing of Christ . . . the presence and power of Christ in their lives. If we have a “blessing complex,” we bring the blessing ...

1597. Jesus and the Ferris Wheels

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... , but you have to wonder if this didn’t begin, at least subconsciously, a period of self-examination. Why do we feel the need to ridicule or persecute people who think differently than we do? Isn’t it because, deep in our hearts, we are unsure of our own beliefs just as those who persecute gays are usually unsure of their manhood? It was not long after the martyrdom of Stephen that Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and then he knew for certain that, up to this point in his life in spite of his ...

1598. Oh, You'd Better Watch Out!

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... in Jerusalem to punish Israel for an earlier insurrection. At the same time, the tiny Christian community was being severely persecuted. The times were dark, so dark that most Christians believed that Christ would surely return in their lifetime. There is much evidence of this belief in the New Testament. But it was not to be. Instead Christ instructs his disciples not to be afraid. The future is in God’s hands, and we can trust God for whatever may come. This is not to say that we should ignore Christ ...

1599. A New Day Is Coming

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... 1, 1863, abolishing a slave system that had plagued the United States since before the Declaration of Independence. Similarly, it was the combined efforts of two courageous men, Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk, men who were different in most every way, save their unified belief in the evil of racism, that kept the light of faith burning and, thereby, brought their nation to a new day. Today we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent. We have been on a journey that at times might seem to have been dark and ...

1600. Discipleship: The Beauty and the Cross

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... Mary, must be our model. Following Jesus is not an easy road; it is the road less traveled, but then the Lord never promised his followers a garden path. On the contrary, he told his apostles (Matthew 10:22) that they would be hated for their belief in him, but those who persevered would find everlasting life. As the beauty of the Christmas season continues to unfold, and we marvel at the gift of Jesus, let us reconsider our role as disciples, building the kingdom of God today, and attaining eternal life ...

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