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 176 to 200 of 285 results

176. Lessons from Rephidim - Being the Lord's Intercessor

Exodus 17:8-16

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ’s the picture. Join that picture with Aaron and Hur holding up the hands of Moses, and know that that’s a picture of being interconnected with the Lord’s people. We hold them up in our prayers; in the kindness that we show to them ; by our joining them sympathetically when they enter the dark night of their soul; simply being with them. And we pray, and we pray, and we keep on praying. We’re being the Lord’s Intercessor and we’re being interconnected with the Lord’s people.

177. Praising God All Day Long

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... national declaration of thanksgiving was made in the hard times, not the good times. In 1621 the Pilgrims gave thanks at Plymouth Rock, after half of them starved to death over the winter. The rest of them would have died had it not been for some sympathetic and kind Native Americans who came to take care of them. In 1789 George Washington issued a decree of thanksgiving after he had led this country in the bloody battles of the Revolutionary War. Abraham Lincoln called on us to give thanks in 1863 while ...

178. When the Winds Are Against Us

Mark 6:45-56

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Lutheran pastor, arrested by the Gestapo, put in prison, later executed for his part in the conspiracy against Hitler. While in prison he wrote letters and notes to his family and his friends, especially to Eberhard Bethge, his closest friend. His sisters and sympathetic guards smuggled these notes out of prison, and Bethge collected them, buried them in the back yard, for safe keeping until the end of the war, and then published them as Letters and Notes From Prison. One of those notes read, “I believe ...

179. Hard Sayings

Luke 12:49-53

Illustration

Hubert Beck

... the pious follower of Jesus generally fabricates about this man. We do, you know, manufacture many inventions about Jesus. He is a gentle, mild-mannered, generous, kindly, even-tempered, loving and lovable, intense (but in a nice way, of course), courteous, compassionate, sympathetic, benevolent man devoted to righting the wrongs of this world. He does go through some hard times and his death is a really, really tortured one, but by and large he is the kind or person who knows and understands our human ...

180. Mistaken Identity

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... in prison. Even there, however, the prophet refused to be silenced. Herod himself made many secret trips to see the man, now that he was so close at hand. And others who claimed to be John's disciples had ongoing access to their leader through sympathetic guards. The martyr-like John in prison was almost more powerful than was the former wild man of the Jordan valley. His mystique only grew larger. So Herodias devised a plan to push Herod into the executioner's chair. Using her daughter's beguiling dancing ...

181. Reasons for Rejoicing

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... no way to approach others without coming near to God?"3 Communication is a key factor in conflict resolution, and it begins with confrontation. That’s the hard part, the part we try to avoid. It is so much easier for Euodia to gather some sympathetic friends and gripe to them rather than to sit down with Syntyche and try to resolve the problem. If Syntyche does the same thing, grumbling to others about Euodia, the church at Philippi soon will have two warring factions with the potential of polarizing the ...

182. Chosen

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... for Mr. Brown!" By the time the next teacher was introduced, even the new 7th graders were getting into the spirit of things. Then they introduced Mr. Johnson. He was an older teacher who was reputed to be the hardest grader of all and the least sympathetic teacher in the school. Well, you can imagine what happened, the cat calls began: "Boo, Mr. Johnson, hiss, hiss, boo Mr. Johnson." The pain was evident on old Mr. Johnson's face. Suddenly Frank stood up in the middle of the bleachers and shouted, "Shut up ...

183. Peace and Goodwill: Changing Our Attitudes

Matthew 3:1-12

Illustration

King Duncan

... can't stand this!" He startled his commanding officer. "All night and all day I hear those poor Federal people calling for water," he said, "and I can't stand it any longer. I ask permission to go and give them water." Kershaw shook his head sympathetically. "Sergeant," he replied, "you'd get a bullet through your head the moment you stepped over the stone wall onto the plain." "Yes, sir," answered Kirkland, "I know that, but if you let me, I'm willing to try it." The General responded, "The sentiment which ...

184. Why Are You Here?

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... there has been a most controversial case in the state of Ohio. It is the case of John Spirko. Spirko has spent twenty-seven years in prison, twenty-three of them on death row, for a crime he allegedly never committed. Spirko is not a sympathetic figure. He has committed other crimes, but there are many knowledgeable people who believe he did not commit this particular crime. Just before he was to be executed, the Governor of Ohio commuted Spirko’s sentence to life without parole lest an innocent man be ...

185. Sunday’s Comin’

Hebrews 10:16-25

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... five excruciating minutes the young man recounted a tale of woe that would have torn anyone's heart out. Finally, his time came to an end and he indicated to the officer that it was his turn. The policeman wiped a tear from his eye, looked sympathetically at his young friend, took his hand ... and they both jumped. Where there's life, there's hope ... generally. The reality is that, if we figure to survive in this world, we had better have hope. The ancients knew that. Do you remember Pandora? Mythology has ...

186. Jesus Christ, Superstar

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... a firestorm of protest from some Christian groups. The objection was that by showing Jesus as a man but not God (as Rice explicitly said was the intention) and by omitting the resurrection, "Superstar" was sacrilegious. They also found the character of Judas too sympathetic and some of his criticisms of Jesus offensive. At the same time, some Jews said that it bolstered the anti-Semitic claim that the Jews are responsible for Jesus' death by showing most of the villains as Jewish and showing the crowd in ...

187. The Tongue Is Mightier than the Sword

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... all doubt." That's difficult for a preacher to remember. We are not accustomed to remaining silent. When Oliver Wendell Holmes was asked how one can get elected to a public office, he said, "To be able to listen to others in a sympathetic and understanding manner is perhaps the most effective mechanism in the world for getting along with people and tying up their friendship for good. Too few people practice the ‘white magic' of being good listeners." Good listening is one of the most difficult skills ...

188. Moving Fences

Illustration

... his unit was killed. The priest heard of his death and asked military authorities if the chaplain could be buried in the cemetery behind his church. Permission was granted. But the priest ran into a problem with his own Catholic Church authorities. They were sympathetic, but they said they could not approve the burial of a non-Catholic in a Catholic cemetery. So the priest buried his friend just outside the cemetery fence. Years later, a war veteran who knew what had happened returned to Italy and visited ...

189. Face to Face With Jesus

Illustration

Source Unknown

The hymn writer Fanny Crosby gave us more than 6,000 gospel songs. Although blinded by an illness at the age of 6 weeks, she never became bitter. One time a preacher sympathetically remarked, "I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you." She replied quickly, "Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should ...

190. What Might Have Been

Illustration

Joeseph Stowell

... discovered something more wonderful, more true than his socialistic ideals. He met Christ, and his heart was changed. Upon leaving prison he wrote to a friend who had helped him grow in Christ, "To believe that there is nothing more beautiful, more profound, more sympathetic, more reasonable, more manly and more perfect than Christ. And not only is there nothing but I tell myself with jealous love that there can be nothing. Besides, if anyone proved to me that Christ was outside the truth and it really was ...

191. How Much Is That Preacher?

Illustration

Jean Shaw

... 't you got something less revolutionary? Well, would you like someone of the social worker type? We have this Ghetto #130. The man with the beard? Good gracious, no. Mrs. Penner would never go for that. How about our Empathy #41C? His forte is counseling. Very sympathetic. Patient. Good with people who have problems. Everyone in our church has problems. But he might not get out and visit new people. We really need a man who does a lot of visitation. You see, all our people are very busy and... Yes, yes, I ...

192. Never Enough

Illustration

Charles Sell

... his grandfather had been like a tough lumberjack known for his quick temper. Once he destroyed a pickup truck with a sledgehammer because it wouldn't start, and he often beat his son. This new awareness affected Dave dramatically. "Knowing about my father's upbringing not only made me more sympathetic for him, but it helped me see that, under the circumstances, he might have done much worse. By the time he died, I can honestly say we were friends."

193. Puppy For Sale

Illustration

... ." "Well, that's the puppy I want. Could I pay for her a little at a time?" The man responded, "But she'll always have a limp." Smiling bravely, the boy pulled up one pant leg, revealing a brace. "I don't walk good either." Then, looking at the puppy sympathetically, he continued, "I guess she'll need a lot of love and help. I sure did. It's not so easy being crippled." "Here, take her," said the man. "I know you'll give her a good home. And just forget the money."

194. The Calf Who Didn't Rejoice

Humor Illustration

... of the household over the return of the wayward son, he spoke of one who, in the midst of the festivities, failed to share in the jubilant spirit of the occasion. "Can anybody in the class," he asked, "tell me who this was?" A small boy, who had been listening sympathetically to the story, put up his hand. "I know," he said beamingly. "It was the fatted calf."

195. It's Better Higher Up

Illustration

Staff

... floor and entered the apartment, tiny and run-down, of this dear lady. But the lady's face was glowing to see her friend and she was radiating with the love of Christ in her heart. The wealthier woman could not ignore the awful surroundings and she said in a sympathetic way, not wanting to be mean, but kindly, "It must be difficult for you living here like this." The lady smiled knowingly and said, "Yes, but it's better higher up."

196. From Jim

Humor Illustration

A young man entered a jewelry store and handed the jeweler a ring, stammering that he wished it marked with some names. The jeweler was sympathetic. "What names do you wish it marked with?" he asked. "'From Jim to Sarah,''" the young man whispered, red-faced. The jeweler looked from the ring to the young man and smiled. "Take my advice, young fellow," he said. "Have it engraved simply, 'From Jim.''"

197. Do You Know How to Listen?

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... on to offer three, what he calls, “hearing aids”: 1. Listen with your eyes. Approximately 80% of communication is non-verbal. Facial expressions and body language usually tell the real story. Look at people when you listen to them! 2. Listen with your heart. Be sympathetic. Tune in to the emotions behind the words. 3. Make [it a habit to take] time to listen to the people around you. (6) This is to say that listening is hard work. It has to be something you are committed to. Listening to your family ...

198. The Call of God

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... C." He was convinced that this was God's way of telling him to become an evangelist: "P C — Preach Christ." So off he went. After a few months of a notable lack of success, he came back to his own home church to talk with his pastor, a sympathetic man who realized that the farmer was simply not suited for the task he had set for himself. "But what about the vision?" the farmer asked. And the pastor replied, "In this case, P C did not mean ‘Preach Christ'; it meant ‘Plow Corn.'" God prepares! Adequate ...

199. But…!

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... . It is after all, a form of deviant behavior. Perhaps it is admirable in some ways, but nonetheless deviant. It required explanation by an expert, and the relevant expert in a therapeutic/feel-good society is the psychiatrist. Enter Dr. Starr, who sympathetically explained that the Willises had not yet had time to understand what really happened. The inference was that their affirmations of Christian faith were a form of denial. Such denial disguised as faith is a common stage in the grieving process, and ...

200. What Really Matters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... a Christian.” (2) I love that story. Ask my neighbor if I am a Christian. That would be a good test for all of us to take. The clear implication is that you ought to be able to tell a Christian by what he or she does. And I am sympathetic to that perspective as are most of you, I suspect. However, that is not all of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. It is not even the better part of being a follower of Jesus. If it were, there would have been no need for Jesus to ...

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