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 4963 results

1876. Matthew 22:1-14

Matthew 22:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... only sends armed troops now to punish those who murdered his messengers. He has those same troops burn down “their city.” Most commentators hear in this violence a reference to the burning of Jerusalem by Roman troops in 70 CE. Whether this violent response was a Matthean embellishment to Jesus’ original parable or part of Jesus’ own reading of the signs of the destruction to come to Jerusalem and the temple (see Matthew 23:38; 24:2), first century gospel readers would have been sadly familiar with ...

1877. Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... which had no idolatrous engravings upon it. Yet when Jesus calls upon his observant Pharisaic questioners to produce the offensively inscribed Roman denarius, they immediately dig one out. Apparently the coin was not too offensive to line their pockets. Jesus’ response is now both remarkably straight-forward and open-ended. The Pharisees identify that the coin bears the image of the emperor. Jesus then proclaims that thus the coin should be “given back” (a different verb than “paid”) to the one ...

1878. Responding to God

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... our sorrow for what has happened or petition the Lord for our needs. We may even at times express our anger toward God. Still, no matter how beautifully and humbly we may express our thoughts, petitions, and thanksgiving to God, we must listen for the Lord's response with an equal or even greater effort. Prayer is our daily conversation with the Lord. We can never know the Lord's will unless we openly and frequently listen to God. One day an older, pious woman said, "We have two ears and one mouth and thus ...

1879. The Need for Transformation

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... ; no one "has it all together." We need to be transformed in mind, spirit, attitude, and action in order to draw closer to God. Transformation is multidimensional but it must begin by how we think about ourselves. The so-called "Golden Rule," that Jesus articulated in response to the question, "Which is the greatest commandment?" calls us to love God above all things and to love our neighbor as ourself. We cannot do justice to our love for God or neighbor if we do not love ourselves. Too often in our action ...

1880. Which Mask Will You Wear?

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

King Duncan

... . They were the spiritual leaders of their community. If they taught one thing and did something else, what would that say to those who were looking to them for guidance? The same thing is true of us. If we have given our lives to Christ, we have a responsibility. That responsibility is, with God’s help, to make our deeds match our words. We are not only to talk the talk, we are to walk the walk. An amusing story is told about a high school concert a few years ago. It seems the band was to give its ...

1881. Human Government

Illustration

Charles Colson

... "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty" (1 Tim 2:1,2). New King James Version Notes, Thomas Nelson, p. 1152 Converesly, we have a responsibility to human government. It is impossible for a believer to be a good Christian and a bad citizen at the same time. As children of God our responsibility to human government is threefold: We are to recognize and accept that the powers that be are ordained by God. "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is ...

1882. Selecting a New President

Illustration

Staff

... is held in the highest regard outside the organization...in public life and "in the trade"? Who is the most warmly human in his dealings with people? Who has demonstrated the best capacity for selecting able people, and the greatest willingness to delegate authority and responsibility? Who will be apt to do the best job of keeping his desk and mind clear of day-to-day operating problems, so he will have time to think in broader terms of tomorrow and next year? Who does the boldest yet soundest thinking? Who ...

1883. Stress: Executive Monkey

Illustration

... didn't work. However, the monkeys soon learned that the first monkey's lever would work for both, turning off the second monkey's light and protecting him from shock as well. This made the first monkey an executive, since he was now responsible for preventing shock for the second one. The first monkey was intelligent. He quickly took over, protecting both himself and his colleague from shock, responding to both lights or either light without difficulty. There was no outward change in either monkey as the ...

1884. Matthew 25:31-46

Matthew 25:31-46

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... those who are “cursed” because they failed to offer aid to “the least” apparently did not refuse to help because of these disciples’ identity. Neither group recognized the presence of “the king” in these “least” ones. Nevertheless it is the response, or lack of response, to “the least” which now determines how they are judged. Their actions and attitudes towards those whom they did not even realize were “members” of the king’s family (v.40) is the basis for the king’s judgment ...

1885. Mark 1:1-8

Mark 1:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... his presence is firmly focused on a single message to proclaim the “coming of the one who is more powerful than I.” Still it is John’s voice that ushers in this new eschatological age and such a pronouncement demands a human response, an action that affirms the immediacy of his words. What John offers is a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Water purification rituals were, of course, known and practiced by various religions. In Judaism the ritual bath, the “mikvah,” was ...

1886. Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a king.” They were wholly inappropriate for a child born in a simple home in a tiny town like Bethlehem. They were wholly appropriate for a king, a deliverer, a divinely chosen one. The Magi’s final act is like all their other response: an obedient response to the miraculous. “Warned in a dream” of Herod’s duplicity, they risk inciting his wrath by reneging on their part of the bargain. Herod told them about Bethlehem, but they do not report their final destination to him. Instead, they blow him ...

1887. Prophesy Your Way Forward

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

1888. Better Angels of Our Nature

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... you restrict our liberties like eating idol food to care for others? No matter how much you love smoked and barbecued lamb, can you defer gratification out of grace and love for another? 3) Morality: can we be fair and follow common rules of respect and responsibilities? Can we live elsewhere than the Book of Judges, where “everyone did what was right in their own eyes?” 4) Reason: can we use the gray matter God gave us to figure things for ourselves and not just trust others to do our thinking for us ...

1889. Mark 1:29-39

Mark 1:29-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (“diakonesai”). It is hardly coincidental that Mark records the first action of this healed woman to be an act of service — an action carried out before Jesus’ very first, newly called disciples. Her response of service to the touch and call of Jesus serves as a template for these first followers. There is a bow to proper Jewish behavior in Mark’s text. Despite Jesus’ reputation, despite the power and persuasiveness of his synagogue activity, the ...

1890. No Cleansing, No Refreshment

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... animal blood. Jesus’ very presence at the Temple, the mission he is living, declares the reality of God’s new plan and purpose. When the Jews who witnessed Jesus’ rowdy righteousness demand he back up his actions with some sort of miraculous “sign,” his response is cryptic — but so unusual that it stayed in the minds and hearts of those who heard him: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The final sacrifice, the destruction of death that would be accomplished by Christ ...

1891. Acts 8:26 40

Acts 8:26-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... had harbored any doubts about the Spirit’s orders, they surely would have been put to rest as he heard those familiar words. Just as it was traditional to read the Torah out loud, so was it always to study the sacred texts with another. The eunuch’s response to Philip’s initial words, “Do you understand what you are reading?” suggests that he too is aware of the need for studying with another. To facilitate that end he invites Philip to join him. The text Luke cites is Isaiah 53:7‑8, although it ...

1892. Practicing the Presence

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

1893. Mark 6:14-29

Mark 6:14-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of John the baptizer.” The dancing daughter outdoes her mother with a flair for the theatrical. With a kind of teenage slasher-movie delight in the gruesome and grisly, the young girl demands John’s head be brought to her “on a platter.” Herod’s response is to be “deeply grieved” (“perilypos”). This term is used only one other time by Mark, when it is used to describe Jesus’ own spiritual state as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (14:34). It is truly a wrenching sorrow, a personal ...

1894. When Others Serve Your Head on a Platter

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

1895. The Power of Prayer

Humor Illustration

... the ground! Afterward, the church folks were rather smug - bragging about "the power of prayer". The angry bar owner eventually sued the church on grounds that the church ... "was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, through direct actions or indirect means." Of course, the church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise. The judge read carefully through the plaintiff's complaint and the defendant's reply. He then opened the hearing by saying: "I don ...

1896. Hit Me with Your Best Shot

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... pleased" (Luke 3:22). He answered the call of the heavenly Father. He made the right choice. When we make the right choices, do the right things for the right reasons, most of us feel that the world owes us a reward, or at least a little slack. But in response to his obedience Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit to fast for forty days, and after this he was tempted. Couldn't the temptation come at a time when he was stronger? Shouldn't Jesus get a break? The fact is that there is never ...

1897. When Faith Faces Disaster

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... any of the pundits assumed. Many folks say they live in fear of more attacks, and it does not take a prophet to see that more are coming — as a nation we have never really addressed the motivations of the terrorists, and in fact, by our government's responses, the problems have been exacerbated. It does not take a revelation from God to see that our problems are far from over. On the other side of that coin, we are a nation that has certainly changed in its understanding of our heroes. After 9/11, we saw ...

1898. Mark 7:24-37

Mark 7:24-30

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... stunned by the presence of the woman, and twenty-first century readers are shocked by Jesus’ harsh language, the feisty reply of the woman surprises everyone. She acknowledges that the Jewish people, the “children” (“teknon”) of God Jesus refers to in his first response are indeed the first served at the table. But she then offers a new insight — that once the children are fed the “crumbs,” the bounty which still remains, is available to the “dogs under the table.” The woman’s reply is ...

1899. Proper 19

Psalm 14:1-7, Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28, Luke 15:1-10, 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... experiences. Amen. Call To Confession In today’s Hebrew scriptures, the theme is judgment. Human behaviors do have consequences within ourselves and for our communities. “God will get you” is the prophet’s challenge. However you visualize your personal responsibility, make this moment one of microscopic reflection. What needs to be changed for you to feel clean, free, and empowered? Pray with me and then have your private conversation with God. Community Confession God of Insightful Silence — we ...

1900. Mark 12:28-34

Mark 12:28-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... century Judaism. Although this third questioner is a member of the Scribes, the established arbitrators in all matters of Torah minutia, this individual is not overtly hostile. In fact, he is open to and intrigued by Jesus. Favorably impressed by Jesus’ responses to the two previous groups, he merely asks him a question — the most fundamental mode of learning employed by Jewish scholars. This Scribe asks Jesus for his personal judgment upon which commandment is “first” among them all. As a Scribe, a ...

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