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 1651 to 1675 of 4943 results

1651. Bread for Everyone (I am the bread of life)

John 6:1-15, John 6:25-59

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... doesn''t last--mere bread, bread that''s temporary. If Jesus came only to satisfy our physical needs and appetites, then the world could be redeemed by the Pillsbury Dough Boy and the makers of Wonder bread. Jesus was concerned for our physical needs. Not many Messiahs are concerned about such common things. However, Jesus intended the symbol and substance of physical earthly bread to direct us to the spiritual--and the hunger for meaning, purpose and fulfillment. Carl Jung, one of our century''s greatest ...

1652. The Lord's Pryaer: Our Daily Bread

Matthew 6:5-13

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... and meet our physical needs and appetites, then the world could be saved and redeemed by the Pillsbury Dough Boy and the makers of Wonder Bread. Jesus was a great Messiah and a great Savior in that he was concerned for our physical needs. Not many Messiahs are concerned about such common things. However, JESUS INTENDED THE SYMBOL AND SUBSTANCE OF PHYSICAL EARTHLY BREAD TO DIRECT US TO HIGHER SPIRITUAL NEEDS THAT ALSO MUST BE FED AND SUSTAINED. Jesus always used the most basic physical need to indicate ...

1653. GIVE ME YOUR SINS: The First Word

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... demonstrates that God put his idea of forgiveness into action, not into a law book. The cross demonstrates that God knew exactly what he was doing. The artist William Holman Hunt once painted what I believe to be one of the most insightful pictures concerning the mission of our Lord Jesus Christ. The work depicts a carpenter''s shop in Nazareth. Jesus is standing by a wooden trestle on which he has just placed his saw. Lifting his eyes towards heaven, Jesus stretches and raises both arms above his head ...

1654. Dealing with the "F" Words of Life

John 21:1-14

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... our lives. It is off limits. (1) Failure has come to every one of us at one time or another. It probably is the one common denominator among us. The Bible from Genesis to Revelation never denies the reality of FAILURE. God is concerned not with the fact that we fail. God is concerned with our response to failure. Failure never was an obstacle to God in dealing with the people of the Bible or the saints who lived in post-biblical times. In some ways failure actually drew them closer to God. Look at this roll ...

1655. The Eighth Commandment: Why We Need the Police

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... old maps and old ways of doing things, to take the easy path." Once again I am thankful that the Bible is honest about its characters. We know that stealing took place in the Bible. Jacob stole his brother's birthright. It was a major and serious concern then and so it is today. A recent article in the USA Today newspaper reported that supermarket grocery stores and convenience stores had $8 billion worth of items stolen last year: 40% was from customers; 60% was from the inside. The mark-up to recover that ...

1656. An Eye-Opening Experience

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... death and a life once again infused with faith and fulfillment. This conversation began the healing process that led the disciples back to Jerusalem to tell what they had experienced. SECONDLY, THIS STORY CLEARLY TEACHES US THAT GOD IS NOT SITTING IN A ROCKING CHAIR CONCERNED ABOUT HIS CREATION BUT IS ACTIVELY SEEKING HIS PEOPLE. One of the greatest images of God in the Bible is that of a shepherd that goes out to look for the sheep that are lost and scattered. Jesus boldly declares, "I am the GOOD SHEPHERD ...

1657. Honestly, Are You Worried about Tomorrow?

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... Preacher from Boston, said that he began keeping a diary when he was a 13 year old boy. He was one of 11 children, and what spurred him to keep that diary was that he was sitting at the dinner table one night with his parents and his mother expressed concern about how they were going to pay their bills and how they were going to live. In fact, she fully expected to go to the poor house. Phillips Brooks wrote in his diary that his father looked up from the dinner table and said to his wife, "My dear, I ...

1658. Peace or Pieces

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... days in every week that we do not have to worry about--yesterday and tomorrow. Do not let your epitaph read: Hurried, Worried, Buried. Now let me say that worry is not the same as careful planning and normal concern for our own and our family''s future. Rather it''s an inordinate concern for the physical and material well-being of ourselves and our families that becomes crippling and often goes for days and weeks unconfessed. Let us remember the setting of life for both Paul and the congregation at Philippi ...

1659. The Tenacity of Trouble

James 4:1-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... that I love God." His first words over the microphone before hundreds of people were, "First of all, I want to thank God." This is its own expression, if you will, of this teaching of James. It is a recognition of Scott''s dependence on God, of God''s concern for him; God''s love for him, the love that he shares with God. This is a remarkable thing for Captain O''Grady to have spelled out and should not be forgotten. He knew his skills were important, but God was sovereign over all. He submitted himself to ...

1660. Taxes and Tightwads

James 5:1-6

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... helped them to keep their footing and to make it safely across the river. Yes, using our money and wealth to help those who are weak and needy allows us to keep our proper footing as well. That is in the spirit of the highest tradition of Christian compassion and concern. It is what our faith commitment is all about. We exist in order to reach out to anyone who needs shelter and a friend and a helping hand. By being a servant, we save the lives of others--and our own. Reach out and touch a life, the life ...

1661. Paths of Righteousness

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... to have spirit; without it the notes do very little. "Paraphrasing the words of Jesus, unless our musical ability exceeds that of the good note player, we''ll never make it as a musician. And this is what Jesus is after. He''s not primarily concerned about the notes; he is concerned about the spirit. The person of spirit is the blessed, the approved man or woman." (2) All of this reflects the last portion of verse three, "He leads me into the paths of righteousness for his name''s sake." It is not for our ...

1662. A Glimpse of Eternity

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... on a mountain side. The robe which was probably soaked with the smell of charcoal fires and the penetrating aroma of fish and baked bread warmed by the breakfast fire early in the morning as they prepared for the day''s journey. Gone for a moment were the concerns and burdens for all the people he had helped, and also offended and made angry, because he extended the love of God not only to the Jews but to the Samaritans and countless others as well. Gone for a moment was the deep misunderstanding in his own ...

1663. Mother's Day

Proverbs 1:1-7

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... in our homes. What is missing is not mothers--but godliness. Today, my comments are not only applicable to mothers--but to fathers and parenthood in general. I am going to share three vignettes to help paint the mental images that I want to share today concerning this great responsibility that God has shared with us as parents and what we are to do-- and not do. The first story comes from a fellow United Methodist pastor named Bob Stamps, who is now serving in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bob loves to tell this ...

1664. Singing in the Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... world which try so hard to strip us of our humanness, dignity, and enthusiasm for life. As Mark, the gospel writer, has written, the disciples were on the lake of Galilee late one afternoon enjoying the peaceful environment. The followers of Jesus were full of friendly chatter concerning the events of the day. This was a relaxing time. They were in a good mood. One of their number, Jesus, had curled up on a pillow in the stern to take a nap. But no matter! He wasn't needed anyway; perhaps he was not even ...

1665. Entrustment

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... we need fear in doing that. If words come hard for us, our thoughts can initially be our words. And if giving the contents of our hearts verbal shape continues to perplex us, there is no reason we can't use others' words in giving shape to heartfelt concerns. Thumb through the Psalms sometime in the next few days and note how many times the psalmist speaks for you. Then the next time you want to speak to God, go ahead and speak with and through the psalmist. If you want to thank God, join the psalmist ...

1666. The Fox

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... I had a greater respect for one another. I appreciated his acknowledgment of my jurisdiction, and he appreciated my ability to avoid a politically charged situation. I am sure that I acted rightly, and I urge others not to make judgments about things that don't concern them. One final lesson, perhaps the most costly of my life, that I would pass on, is "Practice contentment." Philip, who governed the area north of me, died. I thought that perhaps I could add his province to mine, but before I could act, the ...

1667. Making Compassion a Verb

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... year. Some contentious issues were being dealt with by the school board. One Sunday, during the coffee hour after church, I heard the Superintendent say in a particularly loud voice, "For crying out loud, it's my day of rest, too!" Someone had approached him about a concern in the school district, and he felt that there was no place he could go to get away from it. I learned right then not to approach people about business matters when they are not on duty. Jesus was able to deal with such intrusions more ...

1668. Anxious Thanks

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung & staff

... ?" That part wonders if God can be trusted to love us and care for us -- tomorrow. There have been articles written about the spiritual crisis people are facing in the aftermath of this pandemic, where many still haven't returned to church due to health concerns or because they got too comfortable just staying at home on Sunday morning. Many ask, as we often do when we face troubles, "Why is God letting this happen to us?" and they come up with explanations both simplistic and repellent. And under all these ...

1669. With a Bang or a Whimper?

2 Peter 3:1-18

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... the capacity of holding fellowship with his Maker. These affirmations have nothing to do with the manner, that is, with the "how" of creative action. Such things are the prerogative of science. Religion concerns itself with providing answers to the questions: "Whence?" "Whither?" "Why?" These are the fields of inquiry with which the Bible is concerned. John Dryden, who lived in the seventeenth century, voiced it well when he wrote: This is a piece too fair To be the child of chance and not of care No atoms ...

1670. What Are You Going to Do with My World?

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... activity. Not only does God save us from something, God also saves us for something! Once the saving grace of Christ enters the life of a person, he is a new person, life is turned upside down! That grace becomes in him, among other things, a loving concern for the needs of others. E. Stanley Jones tells how, when an epidemic swept though his district in India, he asked two Brahmin saints to leave their wayside meditations and join him in helping the diseased and dying. "We are holy men," they said, "we don ...

1671. Too Good to Miss

1 Peter 3:8-22

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... were forming, she made her daily trek to the elementary school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning. The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school, and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child. Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school. Eventually, she spotted her little girl walking along, but at each flash of ...

1672. Caution and Opportunity

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... be "addicted to much wine" (2:3). This central principle of Christian life surfaces again in today's text -- "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery." Certainly a word of caution is here. We are urged to exercise discrimination concerning our own behavior. Christians are called to be self-reflective. This is hardly fresh news to our listening ears. It certainly was not fresh news to the Ephesians. The Jewish wisdom literature had long since recognized the folly of drunkenness and Jesus himself ...

1673. Lethal Weapon

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... to do." As Fred Buechner says, "You can be bored by virtually anything if you put your mind to it."3 Gossip stirs things up. Secondly, we all have a desire for attention. Those who gossip are attention seekers. The concern for self-interest as you and I gossip outweighs our concern for the plight of the people about whom we gossip. We don't have the slightest intention of helping the person about whom we gossip. It's merely an attention-grabbing device for ourselves. Thirdly, there is a desire for prestige ...

1674. The Achilles' Heel of the Church

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... one widow to take care of women who were sick.1 The early church was well acquainted with physical sickness. It did not view sickness as a punishment for sin, but an ever-present part of life. The corporate life of the Christian community was concerned with every aspect of living. Small wonder, then, that later Christians took the lead in establishing hospitals to meet emergent human needs in the name of Christ. Today there is hardly a major American city that does not have a hospital with a Christian or ...

1675. Who Needs a Doctor?

Mark 2:13-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... those facts to determine other questions and shape our reflections. I. The first fact of Scripture: Levi made a great feast in his house and invited a large company. That's a beautiful picture isn't it? Levi was so excited. His conversion gave him a love and concern he never had before. He wanted to celebrate that. But not only so, he invited persons whom he wanted to introduce to Jesus to celebrate with him. He had a desire for them to experience what he had experienced. Now out of that fact, I ask you two ...

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