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 2001 to 2025 of 3082 results

2001. A Prophecy Against Egypt

Isaiah 19:1-25

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Poems about the Southern Powers: For three chapters we turn to the far south. Cush covers an area corresponding to the very south of modern Egypt and the northern part of Sudan. A Cushite dynasty ruled Egypt itself at the end of the eighth century, so this poem about Cush is as much a poem about Egypt (cf. 20:1–6). 19:1–15 It is not surprising that Egypt should feature in these prophecies. It was Israel’s old oppressor and would in due course be Judah’s biggest temptation. It seemed a resource for ...

2002. Actors

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

John Jamison

Whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and the streets.... We can almost see the people in the crowd leaning forward as they try to hear these things Jesus was saying that afternoon on the hillside. He had been talking for a while now, and although he started out talking about things that were theological, he was now getting to things that actually made sense to everyone. It was nice to hear him say how the poor are actually blessed, and the weak ...

2003. In the Light of His Glory

Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. Les Parrott in his book Shoulda Coulda Woulda tells an old legend about three men. Each man carried two sacks--one sack tied in front of his neck and the other sack resting on his back. When the first man was asked what was in his sacks, he said, “In the sack on my back are all the good things friends and family have done for me. That way they’re hidden from view. In the front sack are all the bad things that have happened to me and all the mistakes I’ve made. Every now and then I stop, open the front ...

2004. In Awe of Christ

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

In a YouTube video attorney and educator Randall Niles addresses the wonders of creation. He notes that on a clear night, with a full sky in view, you can count about 1,030 bodies of light with the naked eye. Think about that for a moment . . . 1,030 bodies. “It was that way 4,000 years ago,” says Niles, “and it’s the same today.” Then about 400 years ago, Galileo invented the first telescope. At that point, about 3,310 bodies of light were visible--more than tripling the number of stars which could be ...

2005. If the Stones Cried Out

Luke 19:28-40

Sermon

King Duncan

(With apologies to Mick Jagger) For most of his ministry, Jesus tried to hide his true identity. He often referred to himself as the Son of Man, and when others tried to worship him or spread the news of his miracles, he told them to keep silent. He didn’t want their praise or publicity. Not yet. His time had not yet come. But it’s time now. As he makes his way to Jerusalem, the time is at hand for him to reveal his mission. Jesus knows what’s waiting for him in Jerusalem. He knows he will be betrayed, ...

2006. Elohim

John 1:29-34, Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Then God (Elohim --plural) said (singular verb), 'Let us make (plural verb) man in our image, after our likeness'" (Genesis 1:26) Prop: A large Quilt, hanging backwards on a stand, so that the threadwork is visible I want to show you a picture this morning. Take a look. What do you see? What is it? [Give people time to answer.] Is it the sky? Clouds? The sea? A painting? Now what if I give you a different view: What is it? Tell me. A pool! It’s a pool! You couldn’t tell by the first picture I showed you. ...

2007. An Important Village with a Questionable Reputation

John 1:43-51

Sermon

King Duncan

According to a recent report from the BBC News, inhabitants of a village in northern Nigeria are celebrating the renaming of their village. The old name of the town was “Area of Idiots.” Wonder why they wanted to change it? “Area of Idiots.” The new name of the village is “Area of Plenty.” I believe you will agree with me that’s an improvement. The local emir announced the name change after residents complained that they had been mocked for years because of that name and were ashamed to tell people where ...

2008. If It Had Been a Snake

John 1:29-42

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Have you ever been looking for something and discovered it was right in front of you? In the South there’s an old saying about missing something that is in plain view: If it had been a snake, it would have bit you. You shake your head and feel like a fool. But this experience of missing what is obvious is so common that it is even the subject of psychological studies. Alejandro Lleras is a professor of psychology who studies what he calls “inattentional blindness,” or the ability to miss something obvious ...

2009. Let's Get Together

Acts 2:1-21 · Genesis 11:1-11

Sermon

Will Willimon

A few days after we bombed Libya, a letter to the Durham Morning Herald urged citizens to unite behind our President. ''This is no time for criticism,'' she said. ''This is a time to unite against those who are evil.'' The letter was unnecessary, for we were already solidly united behind our leader. War does that to people. Even as we Americans were uniting behind our President, dissident Libyans were reported to be suppressing their differences and uniting against the American enemy. War may seem a heck ...

2010. Marketplace Christianity

John 2:13-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Do you employ a “market mentality” or a “relational mentality”? What does this mean? Put simply, a market mentality sees things in terms of transactions and commodities, resources, and dispensability. A relational mentality however sees things in terms of developing partnerships, relationships, long-term collaborations that benefit both parties and share a vision. The former can easily fluctuate. The latter, however, requires time and effort to develop and cultivates trust, loyalty, and commitment over ...

2011.

Psalm 114:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Trembling at the Appearance of the God of the Exodus 114:1–8 This is a hymn, but a unique one. It contains no imperative call for worship. The only mention of human figures are Israel, Jacob, and Judah of the distant past. The psalm’s only imperative verb is addressed to the earth or “land.” The listeners/readers are dramatically transported back to the historical moments of the exodus, wilderness wanderings, and the entry into the promised land. This reliving of Israel’s sacred past is featured in other ...

2012. David's Mighty Men

2 Samuel 23:8-39

Teach the Text

Big Idea: Sin sometimes has devastating consequences: God’s justice must be satisfied. Understanding the Text The Structure and Function of 2 Samuel 21-24: These final chapters of 2 Samuel are an epilogue. They are arranged in a mirror structure, in which the elements in the second half of the literary unit thematically correspond to those of the first half, but in reverse order, creating a mirror effect:1 A Saul’s sin and its atonement: David as royal judge (21:1–14) B The mighty deeds of David’s men (21: ...

2013. Swimming Against the Tide

Luke 6:27-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Salmon and Steelhead Trout are what scientists call anadromous fish. This means that they hatch in fresh water, then swim to the ocean to live out their lives, then return once again to fresh water to spawn. When the tide turns, they literally swim upstream against the current in order to reach their spawning grounds. This strong instinctual behavior to swim against the flow is driven by their need to reproduce.[1] That drive to reproduce is also the key to how we carry on our faith. We have an astute old ...

2014. Starting Over

John 21:1-19

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

Sometimes the healing of our hurts starts only when we find another song to sing. Take the story of Helen, for instance. She had her sights set on a law degree from Ohio Wesleyan College. But then the flu epidemic of 1918 hit, taking her father as a victim. Suddenly everything had changed. Helen could not go to college; she had to get a job to support her mother. For the next ten years, Helen worked at an electrical utility; a simple, repetitive cog in the company machine. Just when she thought she was ...

2015. You Are the Christ....Now What About Them?

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Will Willimon

I'm a Christian. But last week my cantankerous car was finely fixed by a Muslim mechanic. I ate food prepared by Hindu hands. A Zoroastrian solved my software problem and a Jew persuaded me to be on a citizens' committee to build a better Durham. Welcome to multi-religious America. I'm not sure that we mainline Protestant types know how to live in such a world. After all, our major project, well into this century, was to make a “Christian America," to concoct a country so uniformly Christian that we would ...

2016. A Lamp Shining In a Dark Place

2 Peter 1:17-21

Sermon

Will Willimon

“You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place .... no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” You had a hint of what was coming next. In the procession, George brought in the Bible and laid it upon the desk. That's on the table for today's business, that's our main agenda, this book. Now, having heard the word read, you are to hear the word preached. Not my word, the word. You're uninterested ...

2017. Naaman Is My Name!

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

Some of the most profound precepts we ever know come clothed in very basic and elemental forms. A "Peanuts" cartoon strip shows Charlie Brown visiting Lucy who is at her stand offering psychiatric help for a nickel. Charlie says, "I need help! Tell me a great truth. Tell me something about living that will help me." Lucy responds by asking, "Do you ever wake up at night and want a drink of water?" "Sure," Charlie responds, "quite often." Lucy then offers her advice, "When you're getting a drink of water in ...

2018. Can You See Where We're Going

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

William G. Carter

A cigar-chomping realtor was driving around a young couple to search for their first dream house. After listening to their concerns about mortgage points, maintenance costs, and school systems, he decided to give them a bit of advice. "I've been selling homes for 23 years," he said, "and I've discovered only three things matter when you're buying a home: location, location, location." To prove his point, he drove the couple to see two homes. The paint was peeling on the first house, and the driveway was ...

2019. Echoes

Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

When I stand before this text, I hear an echo. What stands out most is the word from heaven as Jesus comes up from the water: "This is my son, the beloved. Listen to him." At another place in scripture where Jesus goes to the mountain with Peter, James, and John to "reveal" himself more pointedly in what we call the transfiguration, suddenly we hear the words of his baptism echo from heaven again: "This is my son, the beloved. Listen to him." The echoes that reverberate from baptismal waters and off the ...

2020. Unexpected Joy; Undeserved Gift

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Tony Everett

Choosing a baby's name is tough! Most of us have been involved in that process at some time in our lives and we know this from personal experience. We have consulted numerous books and reviewed family histories in our search for just the right name. A name connects memory and hope, promise and power, past and future. Choosing a name is a major step in shaping a child's identity. Choosing a name is the beginning of charting a child's future. Choosing a name is serious business. ... and he is named Wonderful ...

2021. Proper 6

Luke 7:36-50, Galatians 2:11-21, 1 Kings 21:1-29, Psalm 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

Forgiving Debts Two of the most difficult practices which emerge in Jesus' ministry are forgiveness and gratitude. A frequent charge against Jesus was that he preempted the prerogative of God when he presumed to forgive sins. It is difficult to know which is harder to do: to forgive another or to forgive oneself. Lavish expressions of gratitude for acts of forgiveness are rare. Persons do not like to admit their indebtedness. If we owe someone gratitude for something that he has done for us, we feel ...

2022. Tempted By Good

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

Have you ever noticed that almost every mountaintop experience in life is followed by a valley experience? You graduate from school with the great expectation of making your mark in the world, but you find out that the world doesn't exactly welcome you with open arms. You get married with the full expectation that your new spouse will relieve your loneliness and solve your problems, but you find out you are still you. Life's high moments are often followed by low times -- depression and bewilderment. If we ...

2023. How to Affair-Proof Your Marriage!

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Country singer Gene Watson croons: Slip into something soft, And then come slip into my arms again. Strip away your conscience and Take off your wedding band. Cheating has become America's national pastime. Statistically, 65 percent of men have affairs by age forty. For women, it's 35 percent. Talking with a pastor who had demitted the ministry due to sexual misconduct, he confided, "I never thought it could happen to me. But it did. For fifteen minutes of rolling in the sheets I sacrificed everything ...

2024. Miracle Ten: Healing A Blind Beggar

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

Background Material This is the last miracle which Mark records. It concludes Mark's thrilling reports of the wondrous blessing which Christ bestowed upon the blind, the sick, the deaf, and even the dead. This particular miracle was reported by other Evangelists, who do not name the beggar. It is Mark alone who furnishes the name of Bartimaeus, which means son of Timaeus. It is somewhat curious how Mark had this information. Did he ask the man's name at the time of the miracle? Was the man a familiar ...

2025. The Demons Within

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

Alexander H. Wales

Ours is an age that is filled with demons. There is more possession going on in the first decade of this 21st century than has gone on in many a century. And the problem is that we don't want to mention it because demons are part of the mythical past. We in our scientific world do not believe in demons. That is because demons are powers that take away our control and leave us at the mercy of powers outside ourselves. Now, I realize in saying this that there are those of you who are immediately thinking to ...

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