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 1601 to 1625 of 2699 results

1601. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . In chapter 10 Paul begins by reaching back into Hebrew history to show how the fickle tendencies of the human spirit can undo the exquisite acts of love and deliverance God may perform. Paul spends the first four verses citing some of the most impressive life-sustaining miracles the human race has ever known. He reminds his Corinthian listeners, so that they won't be "unaware" or "ignorant," that God's presence, as promised, stayed with the fleeing Hebrew slaves, guiding them as the pillar of "cloud" and ...

1602. Acts 14:8-18

Acts 14:8-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... about him. He drops out of the story entirely. The twist in this tale begins in verse 11, for the Gentile crowd, in light of this miraculous discerning/healing power, decides that Paul and Barnabas are gods in "human form." The people are so impressed with the wandering healers that they decide Barnabas must actually be Zeus, and Paul - because he does most of the talking - must be Hermes. For Paul and Barnabas the gap between Jewish-Christians and Gentiles probably never loomed so wide as at that moment ...

1603. John 17:20-26

John 17:20-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , who proclaim to you a way of salvation." At first glance this would hardly seem to be a problem. In fact it sounds like good publicity. But, we are told, Paul finally becomes "much annoyed" at the spirit possessing this woman and, in an impressive display of power, orders the offending spirit to depart. Why does Paul get so disturbed by this noisy follower? Before his identity was fully revealed, when his time had not yet come, Jesus dealt similarly with the unclean spirits who prematurely proclaimed him ...

1604. 1 Kings 19:9-14

1 Kings 19:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 's well-being - both the exterior threat of Syria and the interior threat of ba'alism. Elijah is told he will get this judgment process underway by placing his stamp of approval on the next generation of leaders - Hazael for Syria, Jehu for Israel, and Elisha for the Lord. Impressed by God's mountaintop display of power, soothed by God's comforting presence in the cave, and now inspired by God's new instructions for his prophetic ministry, Elijah leaves his Horeb sanctuary and ventures back into the world.

1605. 2 Kings 5:1-15ab

2 Kings 5:1-15ab

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , Elisha's prescription for Naaman's healing now insults this warrior's Aramean homeland by denoting Israel's Jordan River, not some Aramean waters, as the potential source of Naaman's cure. Furthermore, Elisha's directions hardly make for a dramatic or impressive scene. As Naaman notes sulkily in verse 11, there is no hand-waving, power-invoking ceremony to mark this significant event. Convinced that this whole scenario is insulting and worthless, Naaman prepares to leave. Here the author of this tale once ...

1606. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5

2 Thessalonians 2:13 – 3:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to the Thessalonians [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1990]). Wanamaker posits that what we now call 2 Thessalonians was actually written first and brought by Timothy to the Thessalonian church when he came to check up on them. Since Paul was under the impression that the Thessalonians were being persecuted (an assumption proved wrong in 1 Thessalonians 3:6), and since he worried about their ability to endure, it is reasonable to expect Paul to send such a community written words of comfort and faith ...

1607. John 1:6-8, 19-28

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... used by Jesus that is part self-identification, part heuristic device. But John the Baptist, the one whose role it is to announce the appearance of the Christ, uses this "I am" assertion first. Evidently the priests and Levites are not terribly impressed by this "I am" declaration. The Baptist's baptizing activity still remains a mystery to them. There is some scholarly discussion that John the Baptist may have come out of the Essene community at Qumran. Ritual baptisms, repeated ablutions, were a common ...

1608. Jeremiah 1:4-10

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of the prophets and the prophetic role in old Israel. He knew that when Yahweh's prophets had been called to preach an unpopular word to powerful people, the results were not always rosy for the individual prophet. Yet, Jeremiah also knew the impressive record of triumphs that had accompanied those prophets who had remained faithful to Yahweh's word. If Jeremiah's hesitancy came from his lack of confidence to articulate adequately God's word, the Lord now dismisses that excuse. Verse 9 recalls similar ...

1609. Luke 11:1-13

Luke 11:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... disciples to address God so informally also points to one of the primary motives behind this prayer. Jesus was trying to instruct his disciples how to pray, not so much what to pray. He was not concerned with crafting a beautiful, poetic, liturgically impressive statement that could be run off rotely in formal worship. The great irony is that, for many Christians, this is exactly what this very prayer has become. With this "Our Father" reference, Jesus assures his disciples that their relationship to God is ...

1610. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... confronts his Thessalonian brothers and sisters head-on with the facts as he knows them. Yet, he continues to temper his theological offensive by letting those in error remain relatively anonymous. Obviously, Paul knows of a particular situation among the Thessalonians. The impression given by Paul's Greek here is that he knows the identity of these "idlers," and yet he chooses to identify them simply as being "among you." The NRSV's translation of the activities of these idlers, "busybodies, not doing any ...

1611. Ephesians 2:4-25

Ephesians 2:4-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , this writer insists, before we can ever fully receive God's desires for us. Verses 8 and 9 pick up the parenthetical remark made in verse 5 and develop it into an articulate, even creedal, theological statement. Like Paul, the writer of Ephesians is anxious to impress upon his readers their complete dependence on God's grace for salvation. Unlike Paul, this writer puts our salvation in the present tense - as he did in verses 5 and 6. God's love, God's loving activity (our salvation) is not bottled up for ...

1612. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... falls on his disciples, and he paints a somber picture of their task. The twelve are to maintain a strictly disciplined life, as both an example and a guard to those younger in the faith. In the examples that follow Jesus tries to impress upon his closest companions how they must become willing to sacrifice even living parts of themselves in order to safeguard the welfare of what may be a seemingly insignificant neophyte to the faith. Only by sacrificially participating in this radically expanded concept of ...

1613. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1614. Acts 14:8-18

Acts 14:8-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1615. John 17:20-26

John 17:20-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1616. 2 Kings 5:1-15ab

2 Kings 5:1-15ab

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1617. Mark 1:14-20

Mark 1:14-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... livelihoods. James and John not only leave the security of their vocation, but they walk away from the safety of their family ties and support structures. While the call or command to "follow" proceeds entirely from Jesus, the action it inspires is impressively dramatic. Jesus' call is so imperative that it demands no delays. The call Jesus extends first to Simon and Andrew is to become "fishers of people." Clearly, this invitation to discipleship entails more than merely sitting at the feet of the rabbi ...

1618. 2 Corinthians 12:2-10

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 's reading from 2 Corinthians finds Paul in the midst of just such an uncomfortably combative debate with those who opposed his words and questioned his authority to speak them. Instead of trying to intimidate these disruptive factions with his impressive credentials of faith and service, Paul takes a different debating tack. Beginning in chapter 11, Paul flexes his considerable rhetorical skills. Through an astonishing use of irony and paradox, he makes an irrefutable case. Paul declares that he will be ...

1619. Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... was at its highest point at this time. The geography of his mission now moves away from the water's edge and out into the "villages," "cities" and "farms" about this whole region. The devotion and faith of these crowds in Jesus' healing powers is impressive. According to Mark's text, they appropriated space in the midst of the busy economic center, the marketplace, to lay out the sick for healing. The faith of these followers is so great that they believe if only they could "touch even the fringe of ...

1620. Mark 7:24-37

Mark 7:24-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The two healing stories for today have one thing in common: They easily rub readers the wrong way. Each of the stories has some aspect about it that we find disturbing to our sense of correctness. Accustomed to reading the gospel and being impressed by the divine power healings reveal, the stories of the Syrophoenician woman and the Decapolis deaf-mute don't quite measure up. The first healing miracle (vv.24-30) of today finds Jesus outside his usual Galilean haunts as he journeys to the boundary regions ...

1621. Mark 8:27-38

Mark 8:27-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

As Mark's familiar journeying motif continues in today's gospel lesson, the disciples are about to be taken by Jesus to a place they would never have imagined. The disciples have just witnessed some of the most impressive demonstrations of Jesus' powers. Jesus had fed a crowd of 5,000 on five barley loaves and two fish (Mark 6:30-44). He had walked across water to join his disciples aboard ship (Mark 6:45-52). Further along on their journey, Jesus had healed a Gentile girl who ...

1622. Mark 13:1-8

Mark 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The disciples were not the only ones impressed with the stature and structure of the temple. The ancient world considered both Jerusalem and the temple in its heart to be magnificent. Dazzling white stone, intricate carvings, gold adornments, all made the temple building and its various courts a "wonder" to all, especially country bumpkin-types like most of ...

1623. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . But their presence was causing more jealousy and division than any "common good." Instead of playing down the diversity of gifts present and possible, Paul happily enumerates them. He seems eager to demonstrate that whether an individual experiences the impressive gift of wisdom, the eye-opening gift of knowledge, the quiet gift of faith, or the more show-stopping gifts of healing, working miracles, uttering prophecy, discerning spirits, or speaking and interpreting tongues all these are "by the same ...

1624. Jeremiah 1:4-10

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the nations." Little wonder that Jeremiah responds to this unnerving news with the protestation, "I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy" (v. 6). Having heard this same argument from virtually every chosen prophet from Moses on, the Lord is not impressed. God's directive is simple. Speak the words I give you and don't fear those in power (religious or political) for I will be with you (v. 8). The first message God gives to Jeremiah concludes this "call" reading for today. In fact, verse10 provides ...

1625. John 20:19-31

John 20:19-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a twin. In some Syriac traditions he was known as "Judas the twin," as distinguished from Judas Iscariot, but still no indication as to the identity of the other twin. When news reached Thomas of the clandestine appearance of Jesus to the others, he was not impressed. As a man not given to faddish and hysterical devotion to lost causes, Thomas insisted on reserving judgment until he could put his "finger in the mark of the nails" (v. 25). John's reference to nails here is the only such reference in the New ...

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