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 1876 to 1900 of 4943 results

1876. Luke 2:41-52

Luke 2:41-52

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in my Father's business" helps to broaden our concept of God's "house." Jesus is not claiming that he is only to be in the temple from now on. The most literal rendition of Jesus' words leads to the far more nebulous pronouncement that he must be concerned with "the things of my Father." Despite his newly-claimed identity as one who must be about God's business, Jesus accepts his role as a good, obedient Jewish son. Although Joseph and Mary apparently do not celebrate this moment in Jesus' life they don't ...

1877. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

In this week's epistle lesson, Paul continues to deal with a series of specific questions the Corinthian church has posed to him. He prefaces each of these responses with a characteristic phrase, peri de, "now concerning." Previous questions concerned marriage (7:1), the married state versus that of singleness (7:26) and the issue of meat offered to idols (8:1). Having addressed those, Paul now moves on to the topic of manifestations of the Spirit in this Christian community. It may be hard to imagine just ...

1878. Luke 10:38-42

Luke 10:38-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... exception to both these interpretative tracks by noting that they both shift the focus of this pericope away from what Jesus is doing and, instead, concentrate on what Martha and Mary are doing. As part of Luke's journey-motif, this pericope is essentially concerned with what Jesus the Lord (kyrios is explicitly used in verses 39 and 41) revealed about being disciples of his world. Martha's annoyance at Mary's apparent inactivity is seemingly justified, and Martha's role as one "serving the Lord" would seem ...

1879. Luke 11:1-13

Luke 11:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... respective versions, but the intent is clear and the same. A snake instead of a fish or a scorpion instead of an egg would be a betrayal of trust and a cruelty that even human parents would not inflict on their children. "How much more" God's concern and love for God's children is now revealed by Jesus' stunning final remark. In response to our childish petitions for food or "things," God gives nothing less than the gift of the Holy Spirit (v.13). This reference reminds Jesus' listeners and Luke's readers ...

1880. Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . For the biblical version to exorcise this component would seem unlikely. Furthermore, it is evident in verse 15 that God's judgment of the Pharisee's money-love is based on the Divine's ability to read their "hearts." It is the underlying motivations, cares and concerns - or lack of them - that brand the Pharisee's love of money as tainted in God's eyes. This is a message about divine justice and punishment based, not on economic status, but on the state of one's heart. This parable is divided into two ...

1881. 2 Timothy 1:1-14

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... about the challenges and hardships Timothy is facing. After a customary salutation in verses 1-2, Paul moves to a series of thanksgivings which reflect these dual interests of love and concern. This thanksgiving section foreshadows much of the content of the rest of Paul's letter - a literary device used also in 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 and Philippians 1:3-8. Paul's focus throughout this letter is on encouraging Timothy's loyalty, urging him to persevere in the gospel ...

1882. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... rule and an active opposition to the divine, will mark and mar the face of the earth. Second, associated with this tremendous rebellion is the one Paul calls the "lawless one," the supreme embodiment of evil. It seems quite apparent that Paul is not concerned with pinning this title on any particularly wicked or despicable human ruler of his age. This "lawless one" rises above the evil abilities of any known human being, no matter how corrupt and cruel. But even as he maintains the evil superiority of this ...

1883. Matthew 24:36-44

Matthew 24:36-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in similar fashion to Lent, is a time for spiritual preparations and reparations. It is in this spirit of preparation/reparation that Jesus admonishes his listeners to watch and be ready for the unexpected and unpredictable return of the Messiah. Jesus' immediate concern here, in what stands as one of his final discourses with his disciples, is to prepare them for the tumultuous events about to unfold in Jerusalem. The texts preceding today's gospel reading focus on some of the miraculous signs and heavenly ...

1884. Matthew 2:13-23

Matthew 2:13-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to Joseph and directs Joseph's behavior. There is no hint of hesitation or disbelief in any of Joseph's responses - the angel speaks, and he obeys completely. But while Joseph is the one who acts, he is clearly not the focus of Matthew's concern. Having given his family name, the heritage of the Davidic line, to the newborn, Joseph's actions now simply continue to underline that line. As Jesus' father, he is expected to safeguard his son. But the gospel narrator transforms these actions into the fulfillment ...

1885. John 10:11-18

John 10:11-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... attended by their own shepherd. The gate keeps out the "thieves and bandits" - in this context quite obviously the Pharisees who had just driven from the synagogue a man whom Jesus had healed. The thieves Jesus describes have no concern for the individual sheep. Their only concern is to perpetuate themselves, even if it means destroying others. The Pharisees cared nothing about the restored sight of the man born blind; they drove him from the synagogue community so that his testimony would not disrupt their ...

1886. 1 John 4:7-12

1 John 4:7-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... insistence that love is a sign of their relatedness. Knowledge and love grow together; each enriches the other. When John continues this knowledge by experience line of argument in verse 8, he concludes that separation from love means separation from God. Characteristic of John's concern with defining God, he now reveals "God is love." Love is not just one of God's many qualities, it is God's essence. Furthermore, God's love has now become manifest in another aspect of God's essence - God's Son Jesus Christ ...

1887. Mark 6:30-44

Mark 6:30-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... detail. The focus of this story now shifts from Jesus, the good shepherd, to the disciples, the bad sports. They are tired, hungry, cranky, and their quiet time with their teacher has been spoiled by the arrival of this pushy crowd. Their supposed concern for the welfare of the crowd is not very convincing - getting these 5000 interlopers out of the way appears to be their real agenda. The fact that the crowd is the ultimate reason for Jesus' presence escapes them. Jesus redirects the disciples' selfish ...

1888. 2 Samuel 18:24-33

2 Samuel 18:24-33

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... specific behaviors is based on his conviction that all these fledgling Christians are living during the eschatological end-time of history. His intrusive obsession with behavior thus reflects his concern that the faithful be mentally, physically and spiritually prepared for the challenges they are about to face. From this week's text perhaps the most difficult behavior for the Ephesians, and all generations of humanity since, is Paul's admonition to not be "foolish," and to "understand the will of ...

1889. James 1:17-27

James 1:17-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... straw to the mixture gives it greater strength and coherence. For James to focus on the gift of grace and not stress an accompanying offspring of good works is to seriously misunderstand God's purposes. This week's text from James reflects its author's concern with the believer's response to the good news of salvation. God does not set people up with "tests" or otherwise try to tempt believers into wrongdoing. Verse 17 restates James' earlier point in verse 5 that wisdom and all other good gifts do come ...

1890. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a service, no matter how small, because of Christ's name becomes a member of the community and shares in its "rewards." Verses 42-48 continue this surprising and sometimes harsh series of lessons in discipleship. As in verse 36, Jesus is still concerned with nurturing the "little ones," those with the newest and most fragile faith. The responsibility for the youngest and frailest falls on his disciples, and he paints a somber picture of their task. The twelve are to maintain a strictly disciplined life, as ...

1891. Luke 21:25-36

Luke 21:25-36

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Kingdom. The Kingdom is near even as the Son of Man is present in one form, if not yet in his full role as judge and heir. Verse 32 begins with Luke's characteristic form for a direct exhortation from Jesus: "Truly I tell you." Jesus' concern with the Kingdom's imminent arrival is faithfully recorded here by the gospel writer. Yet the author's own sensitivity to the next generation of Christians has already been made apparent in Luke 19:11 where he intimates that a delayed Parousia might be the experience ...

1892. John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... at 186,000 miles per second). We now know that God created thousands, even millions of galaxies even larger than the one we are in. Our God is an awesome God, a God beyond human comprehension. We also now know that as far as the Milky Way galaxy is concerned, life is not common. Planet Earth is the only planet in this galaxy in which the experiment and experience of life has taken shape. Might it not be that the Garden of Eden is not a place on the planet but the planet Earth itself? Indeed, it seems as ...

1893. Acts 9:1-20

Acts 9:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... way of life, their old habits of living. They are no longer fishers of men, they are only fairly bad fishermen. Jesus' appearance before these men might well fill them with anxiety and guilt. Instead of carrying on the Lord's work, they are concerned only with their own livelihoods. Hence Jesus' command in verse 6 holds added significance. Jesus instructs the disciples to "cast the net to the right side of the boat" - i.e., try something different. The size of the catch reveals Jesus' identity. Simon Peter ...

1894. Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Jesus' always surprising kingdom of God. Because we like the image of the effusive and extravagantly forgiving father, the parable of the Prodigal Son has become a perennial favorite. Yet the master's unexpected praise for his dishonest steward leaves us confused and even concerned that somehow the "right thing" hasn't been accomplished. Why does this parable strike such a discordant note in and to our senses? Perhaps part of the problem is that we read and hear the story of the prodigal son as a tale about ...

1895. 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a meditation on theodicy - the prophet never doubts God's commitment to justice and righteousness. Thus in chapter 2 he returns to God in prayer to ask a different question. Now, instead of asking why God allows Judean injustice to go unrectified, Habakkuk concerns himself with the duration of the punishment God has promised to send. Habakkuk is now waiting for God to reveal how long the wickedness of Babylon will be imposed upon Judea as punishment for her sins. Habakkuk's watchful prayer is answered by ...

1896. Matthew 24:36-44

Matthew 24:36-44

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ' commands so that when that end-time finally arrives, the Christian will have no fear of Christ's judgment. But it is difficult to discern whether the stories and parables Jesus tells on the heels of 24:36 (concluding with 25:46) are more concerned with the quality of this in-between time or if our proper focus should be on the unpredictable nature of its duration. The second theme undergirding all these words about the parousia, then, is its sudden and unexpected nature. Disciples apparently are both to ...

1897. Mark 8:31-38

Mark 8:31-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to "rebuke him" (v.32). Jesus rejects both Peter's message and his attempt to assume the role of teacher. In his rebuke of Peter, Jesus orders him back to a proper discipling position "Get behind me" and differentiates between the all-too-human concerns of Peter and the infinitely more important, eternal matters that are at stake. Part of the paradox Mark skillfully depicts in this exchange is that at the very moment Jesus is flexing the power and authority of his "secret" messianic identity, he is also ...

1898. John 12:20-33

John 12:20-33

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... sight, they usher in a new age, a time when "the hour has come" for Jesus "to be glorified" (v.23). The appearance of the Greek proselytes defines a crucial moment in Jesus' ministry. Obviously, John is not concerned that Jesus directly answer the Greeks' request for an audience. John is concerned that if these Greeks must "see" to believe, they then had better "see" the right Jesus. Those who want to "see" Jesus most often "see" him only through his reputation as a great teacher, healer, miracle worker. At ...

1899. John 3:1-17

John 3:1-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... because of "his signs" did not merit Jesus' "trust" (2:23-25). The general tone of John's text from this point on suggests a certain curtness on Jesus' part. He responds to Nicodemus' greeting by immediately cutting to the heart of the issue that concerns Nicodemus the coming kingdom of God. Although the "kingdom of God" is a well-used synoptic term, in John's gospel that descriptive phrase is used only twice, both occurring in the course of this exchange with Nicodemus. Clearly, then, the coming kingdom is ...

1900. Mark 2:23-3:6

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... by Jesus. Jesus calls on Jewish history and cites an incident from the life of David as precedence for his own disciples' behavior. However, scholars have noted that this illustration is in many ways strangely unrelated to the situation the Pharisees are concerned about. Some scholars are convinced, therefore, that verses 25-26 are added explanatory verses. If they are correct, and the original consisted of verses 23-24,27, it was actually a much stronger, more radical incident than the text we now have ...

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