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 1259 results

151. Academics, Fanatics, and Other Disciples

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

I must confess that for years I have tried my hand at fishing, but the Izaak Walton League would be sure to look the other way if I applied for membership. To be sure, growing up in Wisconsin I did try my luck at some of those beautiful trout streams. But you would have been unwise to wait with a hearty appetite while I tried to catch our dinner. And, yes, my friends and I did go fishing on the nearby Mississippi River. And, yes, we did throw in a line from time to time, but at that age -- our teenage ...

152. Congratulations, Joseph, It's A God!

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

A man had fallen off a fishing pier into deep water and was about to go under. Another fisherman nearby, hearing his cry for help, said, "How can I help you? What can I do?" The drowning man said, "For God's sake, give me something to hold on to!" This is the first Sunday of a new year. Marjorie Holmes once said that each New Year is like opening an intriguing mystery story. What's going to happen? Where will it lead? Charles Lamb once contended that New Year's Day is every person's birthday. He was more ...

153. The Greatest Table in the World

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

Eric Ritz

The Reverend Dr. John Killinger, who is an outstanding preacher and distinguished Christian author, shares a prayer that he designed for a Communion Service when he was senior pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, shares this thought: "Lord, we thank you for this table, which is more important than any other table in the world, even the table of kings and emperors where lands have been divided and the tables of soldiers and generals where peace has been designed. For here, O Lord ...

154. All This and Heaven Too

Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I saw a Gary Larson “Far Side” cartoon recently which I understood. It was set in a cave-like place—dark, dingy—you could feel the chill of the damp air, just looking at it. A row of people are marching into the cave—all sorts of people—well-dressed, shabbily dressed—men, women. Over against the wall of the cave, the devil stands. You know it’s the devil. He has horns, a tail, and a pitchfork. He is surveying his patrons as they enter, a look of glee on his face. On the wall behind him is a poster. It’s ...

155. The Curriculum of God’s Kingdom

Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We can do startling new things because God has drawn near enough to enable them." Matthew 4:17b It was an awful time in London. In December of 1952 a toxic mix of dense fog and thick black smoke killed four thousand in four days. Coffins ran out, as did funeral flowers. It was one of the deadliest environmental disasters in English history. Here is what happened: “As smoke pouring out of London's chimneys mixed with fog, the air turned colder. In response, ...

156. Visions and Voices

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

I don't know about you, but I envy Moses and Peter and James and John. I envy Joseph and Mary and Abraham and Sarah and Paul and Jacob - all the biblical folk who see visions and dream dreams and are swept into the palpable presence of God. And I particularly envy the many parishioners I have known over the years who have shared their holy experiences with me. Jeanne Grimm's blinding moment of light when a dazzling Jesus stood by her death bed. A widow's glimpse of her beloved after his death, once again ...

157. Changed Lives - Mary Magdalene

John 20:10-18

Sermon

King Duncan

A pastor went to a nursing home to offer communion to the residents. This was not one of those upscale places called a retirement center. This facility was for the poor and its residents were mostly in various stages of dementia. When the pastor arrived she was told by a volunteer, who was wheeling patients into the room, that since it was late afternoon, everyone’s medication seemed to be wearing off. Some would sleep through the service as usual, but for the most part, her little congregation would be on ...

158. The Power of Testimony

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Mark R. Smith

Begin by telling the story (or reading the scripture) of the woman at the well from John chapter four. Tell it up to this point in the scripture, and then you may want to pause and say something like: [Now, what follows is the scripture I’ll be preaching from. As Paul Harvey would say, here is the rest of the story.] John 4:39-42 39Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’ 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him ...

159. Anyone Feeling Tired?

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Our lesson for today contains a verse that many of us need to take to heart. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus is describing many of us. He knows our situation. Tired. Stressed out. Battling fatigue. Our nerves on edge. We’re like an old Peanuts comic strip. It shows Linus holding on to his familiar blanket. The caption reads, “Only one yard of flannel stands between me and a nervous breakdown.” Some of you know what Linus is talking about. A ...

160. Keeping Shut About the Good News

Acts 3:1-10; Acts 4:13-20

Sermon

John E. Harnish

A parable, a statistic and a post script… The Parable Once upon a time, a group of people in a small town realized their town was in trouble. So they built a swimming pool, opened it to the neighborhood and invited everyone to come. And the people came. And they were happy. They discovered a new sense of community and the whole town was renewed. The idea spread to other towns and soon there were swimming pools in every town and every neighborhood. Soon there were so many swimming pools, they decided to ...

161. Is There Room For Shepherds?

Luke 2:8-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Luke 2:8-14 (NRSV) [8] In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. [9] Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. [10] But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: [11] to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. [12] This will be a sign for you: you will find a child ...

162. In Prayer’s Way

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Who is our newest parent here this morning? . . . How old is your baby? May I hold him/her? Let’s bow our heads and offer a prayer of blessing for this child . . . This little baby is embarking on a journey. And it’s an awesome journey to be a part of. All new parents here - is there anything as exciting as watching your baby go from a snuggly little lump you cradle in your arms to a roller, then a crawler, then a “cruiser,” and finally a walker? Babies seem absolutely driven to get on their feet. No ...

163. Job Is for Real

Job 1:1, 2:1-10

Sermon

Donna Schaper

We find Job on the edge of town, his money gone, his children dead, picking at his innumerable sores and scabs. In the Joni Mitchell version of his sorrow, Job speaks of how the children of the wicked frisk like deer while his are dead and gone. In her version, we are also told that Job sees the diggers waiting, leaning on their spades, at the site of his grave. Job's three friends, Eliphas, Bildad, and Zophar show up to comfort him but they do so in a way that only pours iodine on his wounds. God is just ...

164. Telling the Truth

Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

Of the four gospel accounts in the New Testament, Luke is my favorite. Luke is warm and simple, full of love and joy, healing and grace. And Luke treats women better than any other book in the Bible. It is in Luke that we find the beloved Christmas story — with baby sighs and soft skin and angel wings. Then we get to Luke’s third chapter and the tone shifts. Warm, fuzzy Jesus is abruptly replaced by loud, livid John. And we learn that even Luke’s good news is often proclaimed in a bad news world. Even Luke ...

165. Two Lives to Live

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

John B. Jamison

The crowds had found him again. Ever since Jesus had moved to Capernaum, more and more people heard about the things he was doing and had come to hear him, to be healed by him, or simply to be near him. Capernaum was not a large town, but was on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, just south of busy roads following the fertile crescent stretching all the way from Egypt in the south to Mesopotamia in the east. It was the interstate highway system of its day and it carried traffic from every land, with ...

166. Is It Too Late?

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

George Johnson

To get his point across, a pastor once announced to his congregation: "Friends, I have some discouraging news. The building we have just completed is no longer ours to occupy. The bank is foreclosing our loan. We are being sued. It looks like we will lose everything. Beginning next month, we will not be allowed to worship in this building." The ears of the congregation perked up. "The problem," the pastor said, "is that someone acted irresponsibly. The wrong figures were given to the lending agency. On the ...

167. Bearing the Cross

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to pose a situation for you. It is a situation that the esteemed writer Frederick Buechner had to confront. He writes about it in his book, The Sacred Journey. Ask yourself how you would have handled the same situation. Buechner had been looking forward to an evening with his mother. They didn’t get to see each other as much as they wanted, so when she invited him over for a nice meal, he gladly accepted. As he and his mother sat down to eat, he received an urgent call. A colleague needed Buechner’s ...

168. LENT: The Passion of Christ: "Denied!"

John 13:36-38; 18:12-27

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A wealthy old farmer was asked by the newspaper reporter to reveal the secret of his success. The farmer shared a story about one of his old roosters. "This rooster was the best at everything he did. He was better at fighting, flying, pecking, jumping and crowing than any of the other roosters on the farm. Unfortunately, he still lost fights to much weaker birds. The trouble was that just as he was winning a fight, he would stop to crow." (1) Maybe that's what happened to Peter. Peter struggled, not with ...

169. Joseph's Story

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Erskine White

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife." (Matthew 1:20) I am the forgotten person in the Christmas story. Oh sure, you all have little statues of me in your creche scenes at home and you set them out every year at Christmas time, but let's face it: people who look at your creche are looking at the Christ Child and His mother - they're not paying much attention to me. Even the shepherds and Wise Men (and a little drummer boy who wasn ...

170. Hay, Harmony, and Hallelujah

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

G. William Genszler

Text: Luke 2:12 - "And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." The night was bitter cold. Little Nanuska couldn’t sleep because she was cold and she had never slept in a hayloft before. She desperately missed her warm comfortable bed back in the East Zone. The smell of the cattle below the hayloft almost turned her stomach and, when the cows let out a bellow, she became scared. Oh, why, oh, why, had her father been so set in his ways? It all ...

171. The Acid Test of Wisdom

Proverbs 10:1-32

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

"We hold these truths to be self-evident ..." but not as evident in fact as they are held in theory - "That all men are created equal ..." and while that word "men" is the inclusive language of the opening biblical salute of Genesis 1:27, some in reality are more equal than others ... "... that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights ..." - qualified in practice to mean that unless the wheel begins to squeak, the wheel will not be greased ... "... that among these are life, ...

172. The Irresistible Influence Of The Holy Spirit

Acts 2:1-41

Illustration

James W. Moore

The Holy Spirit warms us and melts our cold, cold hearts. The following parable makes the point: Once upon a time there was a piece of iron, which was very strong and very hard. Many attempts had been made to break it, but all had failed. “I’ll master it,” said the axe… and his blows fell heavily upon the piece of iron, but every blow only made the axe’s edge more blunt, until it finally ceased to strike and gave up in frustration. “Leave it to me,” said the saw… and it worked back and forth on the iron’s ...

173. The Deeper Meaning Of Christmas

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

King Duncan

Someone has said that the three phrases that best sum up the Christmas season are: "Peace on Earth," "Good will to men," and "Batteries not included." Some of you who are parents of small children know the meaning of this statement. I trust that you had a most joyous and meaningful Christmas at your house. Soon the lights and holiday greenery will be coming down and this Christmas will be simply a warm memory. Before it slips away from us, however, we need to spend a few moments savoring the deeper meaning ...

174. Stepping Out In Faith

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

The world is getting scarier all the time. You never know what perfectly terrifying thing will happen next, even in a small town. A newspaper column years ago by Lydel Sims tells the fearful experience of Mrs. Wilma Sullivan, a widow who lives alone in Portageville, Missouri. "You just won't believe what happened to her the other night when she was sleeping in her quiet house on a quiet street among quiet and friendly neighbors. She had gone to bed about 11:30...Not that she had worried unduly about her ...

175. Thank God for Dads

Galatians 2:11-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome on this Father’s Day, 2007. It’s not easy being a father. I heard about a man who said that he was warned that, as his three daughters became old enough to date, he’d disapprove of every young man who took them out. When the time came, though, he was pleased that this prediction was wrong. Each boy was pleasant and well mannered. Talking to one of his daughters one day, he said that he liked all the young men she and her sisters brought home. “You know, Dad,” she replied, “we don’t show you ...

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