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 151 to 175 of 285 results

151. Deal with It, Get over it, and Get Help

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... /criminologist by the name of Nils Bejerot who dubbed this bizarre behavior with its sticky name. But you know the name of the syndrome: it’s called . . . the “Stockholm Syndrome.” . . . . That’s right. You’re good. . . . Since 1973 this strange sympathetic behavior — a hostage showing loyalty and concern for the hostage-taker — has been repeated and recognized both by such infamous names as Patty Hearst (anybody over 40 not know that name? anybody under 40 know that name?) and by tens of ...

152. Sermon Opener - Deal with It, Get over It, Get Help

Romans 8:28-39

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

... by the name of Nils Bejerot who dubbed this bizarre behavior with its sticky name. But you know the name of the syndrome: it's called . . . the "Stockholm Syndrome." . . . . That's right. You're good. . . . Since 1973 this strange sympathetic behavior — a hostage showing loyalty and concern for the hostage-taker — has been repeated numerous times since Berejot's observation, and by tens of thousands of unnamed/unknown domestic, spousal, and child abuse victims. The captives get their own identity so ...

153. Power and Compassion

Hebrews 5:1-10

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... in the middle of the night — our child in jail, or worse — and our lives are changed forever. A stroke or heart attack, and our youthful strength and vitality vanish like a vapor. How do we cope? To whom can we turn? Our friends may be sympathetic, but what can they do? The government could redress grievances, but what does it care? We need a friend. We need a Savior. We need a merciful someone with power and might. Most firefighters and rescue workers know that effectiveness at their job requires the ...

154. Committing to Christ

Matthew 22:15-22

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

Tony Campolo, the Philadelphia sociologist, found himself seated beside the Pennsylvania governor at a state prayer breakfast. In the course of conversation the governor said that he was sympathetic toward Christianity but not personally committed. Campolo asked, "Why not?" The governor replied, "Well, to tell you the truth, no one ever invited me to commit." Campolo said, "I'm inviting you." within five minutes that governor had committed his life to Christ. We have good news that is essential ...

155. Looking for Love in the Classifieds and All the Wrong Places

Ephesians 2:4

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... apt. wondering where all the aware, caring, generous, stable and adventurous gentlemen are. NYR, Box 7258." "HANDSOME NYC WRITER, 54, seeks very attractive, bright, nonsmoking woman. Dutch treat, naturally. Telephone 212-929-6257." "EASTERN UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR - sympathetic temperament, modest income, seeks WEALTHY WIDOW for satisfying life. P.O. Box 3344, Pittsburgh15230." Not to be undone in these days of glasnost and perestroika, the Russians have also gotten into looking for love in the classified ...

156. Thank You, Magic Dragon

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... became the embodiment of the gift-giver and P.J.'s constant companion. As P.J. grew sicker, "Magic Dragon's" attentions never waned; notes of encouragement and support arrived continuously. The treasured toy dragon accompanied P.J. to the hospital, sympathetically sporting the same bandages and sharing all the painful, unpleasant treatments with this little boy. Tragically, despite all efforts, P.J. lost his battle with leukemia. At his funeral the largest bouquet was a huge spray of daisies, all tied up ...

157. Mark 10:35-45

Mark 10:35-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... how beguiling and seductive it may be for human beings. His sympathy is therefore magnified all the more as a result of his triumph over the temptations which he confronted while in human form. Verse 16 suggests the immense benefits of having this sympathetic ear in heaven. We may "approach the throne of grace in boldness." With the atonement now an accomplished fact, God's "throne of grace" has been transformed into the "mercy-seat." Jesus, seated at the right hand of this heavenly throne, pleads our ...

158. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Here he goes even further than his words in Hebrews 10:32-34 by asking for extreme empathy. Yet if all are one in the body of Christ, then the tortures felt by one member of the body are truly felt by all. An old Zulu proverb puts this sympathetic phenomenon succinctly: "When thorn in foot, the whole body stoops to pluck it out." If this author's stylistic change in chapter 13 was due to his decision to address specifics, then verses 4-5 get about as specific and personal as you can get. In these two verses ...

159. Acts 17:22-31

Acts 17:22-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... level. His format is precise; his argument, progressive, giving it the shape of a learned philosophical presentation. What has remained open to interpretation by scholars is the appropriate "spin" Paul intended his words to take. Scholars who see this speech as sympathetic and inclusive hear Paul gently praising the natural religiosity of the Athenians. His intent is not to judge them, it seems, but to reveal to them the truth they themselves have already anticipated. Using this tone, Paul employs the altar ...

160. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews 13:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

161. Mark 10:17-31

Mark 10:17-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Today's gospel reading depicts an intensely personalized, detailed scene in Jesus' ministry. Although both Matthew (19:16-30) and Luke (18:18-30) also report this encounter, the Markan version presents the most poignant, sympathetic picture of this man who comes to Jesus seeking an answer to the question " ... what must I do to inherit eternal life?" This scene stands squarely in the midst of the Markan discussions of what it means to be a disciple in the shadow of the cross. Immediately following this ...

162. 1 Kings 21:1-10, (11-14) 15-21a

1 Kings 21:1-10, (11-14) 15-21a

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... custom than he, Ahab changes the details slightly. He says that he offered money for Naboth's vineyard first and a swap second, when, in fact, it was the other way around. Perhaps, he gave Jezebel the version with which she would be most sympathetic. He also modifies Naboth's response. Missing now are not only Naboth's reference to God as the one forbidding the royal proposal, but also Naboth's reference to Hebrew religious and cultural law: the land as an "ancestral inheritance." Jezebel reacts immediately ...

163. Lent 3

Exodus 20:1-21, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, John 2:12-25

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... God indicating that the laws come from God and not from social development. The two tablets refer to the division of the laws as they relate to God and to people. Epistle: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 The message of Christ crucified had difficulty in gaining a sympathetic hearing in the world. Both Jews and Greeks were opposed to it. The Jews demanded a sign and found the cross to be a stumbling block. The Jews asked how God's Son, the Messiah, could die on a cross reserved for the worst criminals. Moreover, the ...

164. Excellence in Giving

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... is treating you right now. We give because he has first given to us. Some of you will remember from your school days a Frenchman called the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette was a French general and politician who was extremely rich. And he was sympathetic to the cause of the American colonists. He assisted George Washington in the American Revolution, and then returned to France and resumed his life as the master of several estates. In 1783, the harvest in France was a poor one, but the workers of Lafayette ...

165. Palm Sunday

Psalm 31:1-24; 118:1-29, Isaiah 50:1-11, Luke 19:28-44; 22:14-23:56, Philippians 2:1-11

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... advocacy in the cause of freedom with justice. Forgive any compromise of integrity and any indifference to miscarriages of justice. Have mercy on us for the sake of Jesus Christ, your suffering servant and our Savior. Amen. PRAYER OF CONFESSION Sympathetic Parent, Suffering Servant, Consoling Spirit, forgive our apathy in the face of your identification with our sins. We are still so insensitive to the abhorrence you have to all evil. Despite your holiness you forgive our sins both deliberate and unknowing ...

166. Bring It On

Hebrews 4:15-16

Sermon

James Merritt

... ; all of those things that we face? Absolutely. The difference is, the Bible says, He never sinned. He faced the same temptations you and I face on a daily basis, but He chose never to sin. As you are going to see, that means that not only is He sympathetic with us as we face temptation, but He can give us the power to overcome those temptations. Jesus was tempted in every way that Satan can tempt us, because Satan only has three ways that he can tempt anybody. 1 Jn. 2:16 tells us, "For all that is ...

167. Labor Day

Illustration

King Duncan

... a blood drive and that he would donate the first pint of blood. An anxious voice piped up from the rear of the room and asked, "But whose blood?" I hope your work environment is a little better than that. At least I hope your boss is a little more sympathetic.

168. Keeping His Word

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... the name of Christ receive his peace that the world cannot give. Some seem to be afflicted at every turn in life. What went wrong? We are not to be judgmental and we are not to play the part of a guru dispensing esoteric wisdom. We are to be sympathetic and pray for the time they, too, will experience what we know in our lives. Truly, it is not because of our superior goodness. It is not because God just doesn't love them. Only the infinitely wise Creator of all has the answers. Let us humbly admit there ...

169. Compassion Can Do More Than You May Think

Luke 7:11-17

Sermon

David R. Cartwright

... we learn to understand what others are going through. When we focus on the good fortunes that come to others, it has a way of making us jealous and envious. But when we direct our attention to what others are having to go through, we open ourselves to becoming more sympathetic. If you're a teacher of counseling at a divinity school, it's a good approach. If your goal is to train pastors to help people, and to be ready to do it at a moment's notice, I can't think of a better way to go about it ...

170. Sowing Eternal Seeds

Isaiah 55:10-13

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... when it comes to care of and respect for God's majestic creation. Chief Seattle declares that even the dust under his feet responds lovingly to his footsteps because it is the ashes of his ancestors. His bare feet are conscious of the soil's sympathetic touch. The soil is indeed rich with life.1 Iroquois Chief, Oren Lyons, is an author and tenured professor of American studies at the State University of New York. He explains how the Iroquois make decisions, always keeping in mind the Seventh Generation yet ...

171. Gateway to Grace

Joshua 5:9-12

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... are pretending that you're not frightened of it. But it could be a bear. It's an unnerving experience to see a bear close up. Bears in the wild are the epitome of untamed nature. They don't fit into neat categories. They're certainly not sympathetic to humans, like dogs, or tolerant, like cats. People are not safe around bears. Bears have their own agenda. They act according to their own reason, with their own internal logic. You can't control a bear, but if your luck holds, you get to walk away. Sometimes ...

172. As Seen from the Solitary Broom Tree

1 Kings 19:1-18

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... do: "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus...." When he gets there, he is to anoint new kings for Aram and Israel, as well as begin schooling a new prophet who will eventually be Elijah's successor. God doesn't end up being very sympathetic, does he? Here is poor Elijah, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted from his work as God's prophet, with people out to kill him, and God won't even let him rest — won't even let him hunker down in this cave in peace. God calls out ...

173. Walking First Class

2 Corinthians 3:12-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... When he was eighty-eight years old he was traveling by train. When the conductor came by, Justice Holmes couldn't find his ticket, and he seemed terribly upset. He searched all of his pockets and fumbled through his wallet without success. The conductor was sympathetic. He said, "Don't worry, Mr. Holmes, the Pennsylvania Railroad will be happy to trust you. After you reach your destination you'll probably find the ticket and you can just mail it to us." But the conductor's kindness failed to put Mr. Holmes ...

174. The Trinity

John 16:5-16

Sermon

... , judge. These are all traits of the divine and we must indeed learn to think of him in these terms. But if our Christian understanding of the nature of God is to be correct, then we must also learn to think of God as our kind, sympathetic, understanding, compassionate, gentle and loving Father. To be sure there are stern images of God in the Old and New Testaments, even in the Gospels themselves. But the love of God is the major emphasis, which runs throughout the Bible. There is no message which breaks ...

175. The Gospel of Marah

Exodus 15:22-27

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... recently of a man who was telling of his surgery. A lot of people like to tell about their operations, though not many people like to hear about them. This fellow said that when the doctor sewed him up after surgery, he left the sponge inside. His sympathetic listener asked him if he had any pain. “No,” said the fellow, “but I sure do get thirsty.” I have an insatiable thirst for good preaching. Sometimes I’m tempted to preach what I think is a masterpiece of a sermon from someone else. I resist ...

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