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 1701 to 1725 of 3285 results

1701. Confused as Pigeons

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of the living God" (verse 16). In Matthew's text Jesus rewards Peter's confession with words of praise and blessing. Jesus affirms that the words of Peter's pronouncement were given him by "my Father," by divine inspiration, not by any human analytical abilities. Peter's words are so profoundly true that Jesus makes that confession the foundation, the rock, upon which his church will be built. Think how joyous Peter and all the disciples must have felt, how overwhelmed with wonder, washed over with awe, at ...

1702. Live and Learn

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... flexible. Such simple learning exercises as taking a different route to the store, doing a crossword puzzle, planning and executing a sewing, building, or other creative project, all help contribute to keeping our neurons firing, our brains healthy, and strengthening our mind's ability to learn. In fact, there are really only two questions to ask yourself in situations you're in. 1. Am I learning something? 2. Am I contributing something? If the answer to either is no, then get out of there. If the answer ...

1703. Gone with the Wind

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... HAD launched himself over the side of the boat and set out across the roiling waters. The moment Jesus offered the invitation to "Come, " Peter came. Even Peter's deficient, wind-blown faith was enough to enable him to walk upon the water - a miraculous ability millions of readers have found hard to take literally. Yet I'll bet every one of us this morning can think of some remarkable water-walkers we have known. We all have watched simple, straight-forward, hard-working men and women, little toddlers and ...

1704. God Will Take Care of You

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus to take and use the small gleanings they have to offer, that the miracle occurs. Not only is there food enough for all; not only is just the edge taken off their hunger: most amazing of all, all are filled (or "satisfied"). Jesus' ability to provide spills over into an amazing abundance. And instead of scrounging for crumbs after every person has been nourished, there are twelve baskets full of left-overs. The same broken pieces that had miraculously multiplied to fill the bellies of the five thousand ...

1705. Jesus Calls for Treen Christians

Matthew 13:31-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... mustard flour in their socks to help prevent frostbite in their toes. But in today's gospel text, when Jesus tells the parable of the mustard seed, it's not based on mustard's healing properties or vital potency. Instead it's the tiny mustard seed's ability to grow beyond all expectation into a shrub so high and so vast that it becomes a tree. In fact Jesus' parable specifically declares that "the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches" - a detail that conclusively defines this plant as a true ...

1706. Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... why "The adventure has gone out of the Christian venture," as D. H. Lawrence put it in 1924. Christians need to learn how to exercise power. One of the best definitions of power I've ever heard is this one: "Power is the capacity, ability, and willingness to act." But the kind of power we need to exercise is relational power. Not unilateral power, but relational power. Unilateral power sees 100 people sitting in this sanctuary. Relational power sees 50,000 people sitting in this sanctuary. Cesar Chavez knew ...

1707. The Difference between Happiness and Joy

1 Peter 1:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... fleeting, the most unrepeatable moment in their lives. Perhaps this is why so many athletes look to faith for something more lasting, more life-enduring. Joy refuses to be squelched, submersed, or sublimated. Joy isn't dependent upon personal strength, personal ability, or personal achievement. Joy is rooted in God, nourished by faith, sustained by grace. 3) Happiness can be a solitary emotion. Rejoicing is a community enterprise. You can be happy by yourself. You rejoice with other people. "Calling on the ...

1708. Are You Willing to Be a Donkey?

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... s gospel text it's easy to get swept up in the celebration of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem. For once, all the people around Jesus seem to be supportive. For once people appear excited about his presence. For once the crowds are confident in his abilities. To be sure, their shouts indicate that there was still a general misconception about his true identity - he's called variously by the crowds "Son of David," "the one who comes in the name of the Lord," and "prophet." By citing the royal acclamations from ...

1709. How to Beat the Devil

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... - the devil lurks and lunges, biding his time and finding fertile ground for temptations, tests, and enticements. From today's gospel text, however, it's important to understand what the devil is testing Jesus for. The diabolos isn't testing Jesus for his ability to work miracles. The devil isn't testing Jesus to play to the galleries, to please the crowds. The devil isn't entertained by or interested in bread and circuses. The key to understanding the devilish intent of these temptations is the preface ...

1710. The Curse of the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... with a strict social hierarchy: truck drivers, mill workers, and the guys who rose at 4 AM to ride the crummies up into the woods. While divided by pay scales and levels of independence, all these hard-working men and women had a common tongue: the ability to utter a curse that wouldn't only turn the air blue, but stretch the existing limits of verbs and nouns, combining insults and invectives with remarkable insight and ingenuity. I dare any current stand-up comedian, rap musician, or action-movie hero to ...

1711. God's Resolutions

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... New Year, we promise ourselves we will give up chocolate, or TV, or fats, or carbs - then suddenly realize a whole year of doing without stretches out ahead of us. Our resolutions seem always to tend towards pushing the limits of our abilities, testing the strength of our self-denial. No wonder resolution-making is falling by the wayside. The tradition of making New Year's resolutions dates back to the early Babylonians. They too tended towards the pragmatic and responsible side of resolutions, most often ...

1712. Quarterback 101

Jeremiah 32:1-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... all, the forward pass required that the ball be completely out of human hands, out of control for several long seconds. Heaving the ball directly towards the opposing team seemed like game-suicide. But as quarterbacks and receivers learned how to time their ability to intersect, to bring the ball and the receiver together again at some point far downfield, the value of the forward pass became obvious. Besides, it was exciting! Fans loved the long bombs, the Hail Mary's, and those dramatic dives and leaps ...

1713. Move Life from Duty to Destiny

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... as the disciples do “bear witness”— sometimes under the direst of circumstances. Jesus admonishes his disciples “not to worry” about preparing their own defense, for the Spirit will provide them with “words and wisdom” that will be beyond the abilities of any of their enemies to “resist or contradict” (v.15). Earlier in Luke Jesus had declared that the Holy Spirit would aid his disciples during times of persecution (12:11-12). Jesus’ suggests here the essential continuity between himself ...

1714. Don't Forget the Mustard

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , the ground mustard in the compress would increase the blood supply to the affected area, allowing the body to work more efficiently at carrying away toxins, speeding digestion, easing sore muscles, and generally accelerating the body's own healing abilities. Fevers broke, lungs cleared, headaches subsided, muscle cramps ceased...when a good strong mustard plaster was applied. Today we have relegated mustard to the door-rack of our refrigerators. [Here is where you need some samples. If you can get ...

1715. Eleven Plus One

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Bowl" or "World Series" and a whole host of images come to mind. Whether college or pro ball, every tournament singles out one or two teams that are dubbed a Cinderella team. Some have unexpected, unlooked-for strings of victories; some go beyond their individual abilities to teamwork; and suddenly, a team destined for the dumpster is sitting on top. We love these Cinderella teams. They make us feel like the little guy can still win, that the richest and the biggest don't always get their own way in the ...

1716. Jedi Christians

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Force wielding, and light-saber swashbuckling seems to come to him naturally, instinctively, and effortlessly. I really preferred the hero of the first Star Wars movie 25 years ago (eventually called Episode IV A New Hope), Luke Skywalker, who tended to overstep his abilities, screw-up with misplaced enthusiasm, and who had the patience of a bull facing a flapping red flag. Luke was a hero, but not a "super" hero. Remember when Luke traveled in search of Yoda, the short, green, goblin-esque Jedi Master, in ...

1717. Set Life Free

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 8). The final amount harvested is ultimately out of the hands of the sower. Our task it to sow. God's task is to reap. We cannot compare our harvests or our results – church size, choir decibels, broadcast bandwidth, budget surplus, uplink/downlink abilities – with others and claim for ourselves more or less success. But there must be fruit to feed a hungry world. And in a marvelous circularity of spirituality, the ultimate in fruit-bearing is seed-sowing. One of my favorite poetic couplets is from ...

1718. Straw Polls and Soul Quakes

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... that had started the game. Evidently the gossip line between the Jerusalem street on that first day of Pentecost and the Christian congregation at Corinth had suffered a similar kind of lapse in communication. Some believers, gifted with the ability to speak in tongues, or with particular wisdom or advanced knowledge, had discerned for themselves that a pecking order of spiritual gifts should be established. Instead of celebrating the variety of spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit bestows on believers ...

1719. This Kiss

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... VCR? Say nothing of the DVD, PC, WWW, Palm Pilot, etc. Our kids absorb new technologies in a nanosecond. Their minds have been shaped both by the Boolean logic of the computer and the netted web of internet communications. To participate in child's play requires the ability to stack a library of visual images, cues and codes on top and around one another and then access the image you want by thinking your way there. It is not just that the "toys 'r us" equipment kids use is advanced and complex, although it ...

1720. Your Cheatin' Heart

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is hollowed out. Without a heart-drive that beats for those that aren't there...Without a heart-drive that is pumping blood for those in need...the church crashes just as surely as a diseased heart/hard-drive crashes your computer's ability to function. One of my favorite authors, Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, has a favorite quote from Hippolytus, martyr and saint. Hippolytus once wrote of Christ in these terms: His divine spirit gave life and strength to the tottering world, and the whole universe became ...

1721. The Golden Bull or the Old Rugged Cross?

Acts 16:16-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Never having enough of it. After all, money does bring a certain kind of freedom. Freedom to live where you like. Freedom from worrying about putting food on the table. Freedom to move from place to place. And riches do bring influence. The ability to shape and mold your surroundings to suit your needs. Enough influential wealth brings power. Power gives the illusion of control over communities and conditions, over people and their actions, over momentous events and tiny details. Master's of our own destiny ...

1722. Son-burned, Wind-blown, Earth-Stained

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... their dress code requirements. U.S. sky marshals claimed that the type of clothing they were required to wear made it difficult to do their jobs on two levels. First, the required slacks, jacket, shirt, tie, and dress shoes were accused of restricting their abilities to move around quickly and freely. How, for instance, was a sky-marshal supposed to leap forward and tackle some troublemaker if his slipper-soled wing-tips slid on the carpeting, or if his jacket caught on the head-rest of some passenger's ...

1723. Greeting and Meeting Jesus

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... you helped to clothe. 4. God won't ask what your highest salary was, but God will ask if you compromised your character to obtain it. 5. God won't ask what your job title was, but God will ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability. 6. God won't ask how many friends you had, but God will ask how many people to whom you were a friend. 7. God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, but God will ask how you treated your neighbors. 8. God won't ask about the color ...

1724. Are You Living the Three Advents?

Romans 13:11-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... v.14). Although men and women of faith are still living in the flesh, they are protected from living “according to the flesh.” The Spirit’s “armor of light” shields those who wrap themselves in its transforming power. The “desires” of the flesh lose their ability to destroy and tear down. This is the “new day” to which Paul is looking forward. . . . Dwells Among Us: Coming Alive to the Text Here is a sure-fire, Advent season test to determine how old you are. Is time now rushing past you ...

1725. Dare to Be Different, Not Just Better

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of popcorn with butter, palm oil, cheese, caramel, and chocolate: a big bowl of lightly salted, fake-buttered popcorn is still a dieter's delight. It has a great smell, crunchy texture, is low calorie, low fat, and has that good old comfort food ability to satisfy the munchies. My fascination with popcorn has been as much with the magic of the popping as with the popcorn itself. There are few foods as startling and stunning in their transformation from raw to cooked as popcorn. Meats may char into ...

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