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 1826 to 1850 of 3285 results

1826. Unlikely Election

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... the lingering doubts about their own failure to stand faithful in the moments of Christ's suffering and death. All those emotions. All that baggage. Maybe all that unresolved stuff stood in the way of the free-flow of Christ's spirit in their midst, blocking God's ability to do anything new. Maybe it was only when they were willing to open their hearts to Matthias, open their minds to a new voice and new ideas, open the doors to a new disciple (Open hearts, open minds, open doors—has a nice ring to it ...

1827. The Revelation Code I: DaVinci, A to Z

Revelation 1:1-20

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... has been quite successful at it. The DaVinci Code has swept the world with its fantasy, mystery and illusion. He may not be a very good church historian, but he is a wonderful spell-binder. Or consider J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and its ability to speak truth in ways more powerful than static literalism. Or C.S. Lewis and the land of Narnia, or Harry Potter at Hogwarts. And now this week…Superman Returns. A reviewer in the New York Times, no less, says this version of the tale "…returns Superman ...

1828. A Matter Of The Heart

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... of Charles Wesley's music goes right to the nurturing of the heart, the depth of the heart in relation to God, the healing of the heart. 1. First, the diagnosis. Let's call it spiritual cardiomyopathy, the hard heart. Cardiomyopathy—the muscles lose their ability to relax and contract, become stiff and brittle, literally a "hard heart." I know a little bit about cardiomyopathy, a little too close for comfort, actually. For my twin brother, Jim, the diagnosis came as a bit of a shock, though he says he ...

1829. Taking the Long View

2 Peter 3:8-15a

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... seem so trivial; yet we know we must cling to them in order for our brief life on this earth to go on. To look into the heavens with the psalmist and worship God the Father who gave us Jesus the Christ in the form of a baby strains our ability to articulate. That foremost of all babies became a part of time that God created. It is as though he utilizes his powers in such a way that Jesus becomes compliant to the Father's wishes. In still another way, the ages come together to provide humankind's Savior. It ...

1830. The Acceptable Time

2 Corinthians 6:1-2

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... are open to you; therefore widen your hearts to us. We have given everything for your sake. Now it is time for you to respond in generosity and love, says Paul. The ministry was not easy for Paul. Highly competent himself, he saw people of far less ability and stature receive all he had to offer, and use it to their advantage, and give nothing in return. Having denied for himself the things that make for worldly prestige, he often was treated as a nobody by those who owed their very souls to him. Devoted ...

1831. The Paradoxical Power of Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... all the others; and this is the humiliating part." (1) Consider the experience of the musician who attains considerable success in a remote city. When he appears in concerts, people come from miles around. They arrive to pay tribute to his talent and ability. He grows from strength to strength. Even local music critics are dropping their customary reserve to extend considerable praise. The musician is stimulated and encouraged to go further. He goes to New York to study under a world-famous teacher. Do you ...

1832. Let God Do the Rest

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... he visited the great city of Ephesus, founded a fledgling Christian community, and instructed the people on giving what they had, and being faithful to their contract with God. Today's Second Reading is a beautiful and powerful example of Paul's ability to instruct through prayer. The Pauline author tells the Ephesians through this prayer of their need for thanksgiving. He falls on his knees and prays that the Christian community will be strengthened through the power of the Spirit. Paul realizes that the ...

1833. Finding Unity through Christ

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... Jewish belief. The Acts of the Apostles (4:32-37) specifically says that the followers of Jesus banded together, holding all things in common. Christians, in imitation of Jesus, worked for the collective good; their very survival depended on their ability to be united. Local Christian communities banded together in "house churches," meeting each Sunday morning and worshiping in secret, staying one step ahead of any authorities who might want to cease their operations. These small groups of Christians grew ...

1834. Make the Most of God’s Gifts

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... the family car. A drunk driver crossed the centerline and an instant later they were both gone. John Harding had the all the gifts for success, but when tragedy struck, he did not know how to use them. He was a man who placed all his trust in his own ability; he never had to rely on others. Now, however, in grief and shock, he crawled into a shell of mourning and refused to come out. After a couple of months, an old friend, Bill West, came to John to see if he could pull him from his state of grief ...

1835. God’s Wisdom or the World?

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... operates on instinct. They are programmed to do whatever they do. However, humans are given free will. God does not demand compliance; we are never placed into handcuffs or a straightjacket so as to force our actions. Free will, that quality along with the ability to think, which separates us from the rest of God's creation, always must be used judiciously and wisely. Thus we might ask, why does the world suffer? Why do pain, problems, and suffering exist in such abundance? We all believe that God is ...

1836. In Solidarity with Jesus

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... the ragman of our town; he was the Christ. Walter Wangerin, Jr.'s powerful tale of the ragman1 demonstrates how one took on the cares and concerns of those he encountered; he took on their pain. In every way he became one with the people. His ability to be in solidarity with others brought him several trials, but in the end he received the exaltation that is the reward for those who love God. Today's reading from the Letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus found perfection, through suffering and becoming ...

1837. The Unshakable Foundation

Hebrews 7:23-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... our own inner strength and wits, the result is always the same — disaster. Human strength eventually declines, human social structures fail, and human philosophies offer us no sympathy or forgiveness in desperate times. Eventually the waves of chaos get mightier than our ability to withstand, and the sands upon which we have built our dreams crumble and wash away. What, or who, can protect us from the perils that threaten at every turn? That is the very question the early Christians faced in the community ...

1838. Debts in Roman Society

Matthew 18:21-35

Illustration

James R. Davis

In the ancient world cruel treatment was practiced against debtors, often without regard to the debtor's ability or intention to repay. In Athens prior to the establishment of democratic rights, a creditor could demand slave labor of his debtor or of members of the debtor's family as surety of payment. Roman law provided punishment by imprisonment to the debtors. The reason for imprisonment and cruel treatment ...

1839. An Example of Christ-like Thinking

Matthew 18:21-35

Illustration

Staff

Patti Davis, the daughter of Ronald Reagan said that her dad made a lasting impression on her the day after the assassination attempt of 1982. She says, "The following day my father said he knew his physical healing was directly dependent on his ability to forgive John Hinckley. By showing me that forgiveness is the key to everything, including physical health and healing, he gave me an example of Christ-like thinking."

1840. Availability

Matthew 21:28-32

Illustration

King Duncan

... ?" Again the man answered, "No." The employer asked, "Well, what about electrical work?" The man said "No, I don't know anything about that either." Finally the employer said, "Well, tell me then what is handy about you." The man replied, "I live just around the corner." Sometimes the greatest ability we can have is availability. To be where God can call us, to be within whisper range of his summons, that is the beginning of a life of meaningful discipleship.

1841. The Blessing Complex

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... .” What Paul CAN offer is Christ. What Paul CAN bring is the faith of Christ and faith in Christ to others. Christ is the blessing. Did you hear me? CHRIST is the blessing. Jesus blesses others with his presence and power. Only Jesus has the ability to transform our lives. Not us. Those Judaizers Paul fought against so fiercely? They thought THEY had a blessing to offer others. Yes, they sought to imitate Christ as much as possible. Jesus was a circumcised, observant Jew, a follower of the law. So they ...

1842. Oh, You'd Better Watch Out!

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... world is the same God who holds the future. “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” God loves His creation with a love that cannot be comprehended. Here’s what you and I need to do. Make good decisions about the future to the best of our ability and then trust God. The future is in God’s hands, not ours. The century in which Jesus spoke these words were just as turbulent as ours. In 70 AD, about the time Mark was writing his Gospel, the Roman army did the unthinkable it destroyed the great Temple ...

1843. Mary, Did You Know?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’ birth was a miracle. If scientists were to announce tomorrow that a virgin birth had been created in the laboratory, not a one of us would dispute it. Science can do such amazing things nowadays. But we want to deny the God who created science the ability to manipulate the laws of the universe and to give a baby a unique birth. That’s absurd. Jesus’ birth was a miracle. Underline it again. Nothing is impossible with God. Remember that the next time you are in a hard place. Nothing is impossible with ...

1844. Don’t Fear the Wait

Mark 13:1-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... things that are much more fundamental in our lives, most especially our relationship with God. We fear waiting for we do not like the unknown. However, the story of the man writing to his aunt and today's scripture readings tell us that we need to develop the ability to wait patiently for God, always remembering how patient God is with us. Death, our ultimate meeting with God, is a fearful event for most because we have no control and are baffled by what will happen. Yet, if we have done what God asks of us ...

1845. A New Day Is Coming

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... ray of light struck her face. The light from the window had hit a highly polished copper kettle that reflected the light onto the potatoes. The woman was excited about her discovery and exclaimed, "I may not be a preacher or a teacher with the ability to expound on the scriptures, but at least I can be a copper kettle Christian, catching the rays of the Son of God and reflecting that light to someone living in a dark corner." In order to successfully traverse these dark nights, we must continually seek ...

1846. Perceiving the Presence of God

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... claiming his unworthiness. "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11). God said he would be with Moses, but the latter was still not satisfied and tried to escape the call claiming this time his lack of ability: "O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past not even now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." Again the Lord responded, but Moses persisted, "O my Lord, please send someone else" (Exodus 4 ...

1847. Discipleship: The Beauty and the Cross

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... will and dying for us. If we are true disciples we should do the same. Discipleship brings us many wonderful and significant privileges. Through discipleship we gain special insight and knowledge of God. God is revealed in ways we might not expect through our ability to follow in the footsteps of the Lord. Discipleship also brings many wonderful blessings. Things simply seem to go better when we are close to Christ in our everyday walk of faith. The benefits of community are a great gift that comes from our ...

1848. Baptism: The Common Call To Holiness

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... of life, calmness in a time of strife, using conciliation over argumentation in time of conflict are all ways of demonstrating service to others and ministry in God's kingdom on earth. Another important method of evangelization is the process of reconciliation. The ability to admit one's brokenness, especially before another, is an act of evangelization. How many times have we been inspired and had our hearts lifted by seeing another turn away from evil and begin a new path which leads to God? Baptism is ...

1849. Letting Go and New Beginnings

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... , happened to the apostles, Peter, James, and John, who accompanied him up the mountain? Most assuredly they were changed, not externally and not momentarily. They were transformed internally and permanently to a new relationship with God. The Transfiguration Of Our Lord and its ability to transform the apostles challenges us to see our need to change, drop the past, and look to the brightness of the future. The Transfiguration was certainly a very important event as it is one of only a few that are related ...

1850. Momentous Moment

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

David T. Ball

... alcohol, he hated himself for it. He knew how disappointed his parents would be in him, if they knew how much he was drinking. And although he was managing to stay in school, and to keep his career goals on track, he had a bothersome sense that his ability to do so was slipping away, and it might all collapse in disaster. He resolved to quit drinking, but he just couldn’t stick with it. And every time he’d get drunk again, he only hated himself more. He felt he had so deeply disappointed his parents ...

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