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 2275 results

2001. The Skilled Blows of God

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... and—lo!—the superb jewel lay in his hand cleft in two. Did he do this out of recklessness, wastefulness, and criminal carelessness? Indeed not! For days and weeks that blow had been studied and planned. Drawings and models had been made of the gem. Its quality, its defects, its lines of cleavage had all been studied with minutest care. The man to whom it was committed was one of the most skillful lapidaries in the world. Was that blow a mistake? No! It was the climax of the lapidary's skill. When ...

2002. Growing in Courage or Might

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

A man by the name of Mallory led an expedition to try to conquer Mt. Everest in the 1920s. The first expedition failed, as did the second. Then, with a team of the best quality and ability, Mallory made a third assault. But in spite of careful planning and extensive safety precautions, disaster struck. An avalanche hit and Mallory and most of his party were killed. When the few who did survive returned to England, they held a glorious banquet saluting the great people of ...

2003. So, Do Something About It

Lk 1:39-56

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... play sports with the other boys his age. Eventually he entered the ministry. But his health was so fragile, he was unable to serve his growing congregation. Amazingly, he did not dwell on his troubles. In fact, his spirit soared. His only real complaint was the poor quality of the hymns of his day. He felt they did not convey hope and joy. Someone challenged him to write better ones. He did. He wrote over 600 hymns, most of them hymns of praise. When his health collapsed completely in 1748, he left one of ...

2004. Trying Again and Again

Proverbs 24:16

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

Among other qualities of personal character, what makes a man great is his determination to keep going. Most sports buffs know that from 1960 to 1966 the record for the most stolen bases was held by the incredible Maury Wills. In 1962 he set the current club record for the Dodgers: 104 stolen ...

2005. On Taking Candy from a Stranger

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... , he missed out on some free chocolate. I don’t think I could be that obedient, do you? It’s not a popular subject in our world today, but let’s talk for a few moments about obedience. Obedience, especially when it requires sacrifice, is an admirable quality. You have to believe in a cause greater than yourself to obey a rule or a principle that causes you to sacrifice your own pleasure or comfort. Our Bible passage today is partly about the Sabbath, and what it means to keep the Sabbath holy. Why did ...

2006. Future of the Internet

Illustration

Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie

... some of the experts surveyed. On the other hand, “quick-twitch” thinking may become a key survival skill for this hyper-connected, “always on” generation, others believe. “The essential skills [of 2020] will be those of rapidly searching, browsing, assessing quality, and synthesizing the vast quantities of information,” said Microsoft researcher Jonathan Grudin. “In contrast, the ability to read one thing and think hard about it for hours will not be of no consequence, but it will be of far ...

2007. Scrubbing Our Social Media Accounts

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... to spend eternity separated from God because God can’t share God’s glory with imperfection. And if we’re separated from God, then we are separated from all that God is—life, love, peace, hope, joy, truth, goodness. Imagine a world that is devoid of these qualities. It would be hell, wouldn’t it? That’s the whole point of it all. Unending misery and hopelessness. And that would be the end of the story for all of us. Except . . . that God had in mind a different ending for each of us. In early ...

2008. Bless the World

Luke 6:20-31

Sermon

Molly F. James

... a lens that would be a source of stress and worry. It would be an approach that would mean she would always be waiting for the other shoe to drop. It would be an approach that would not add hours to her span of life but instead would diminish the quality of her life. Or if she chose the latter, if she chose gratitude, then she could celebrate the life and joys of her children. She could be an active and involved mother who continued to play tennis and take her children to the lake in the summer. She could ...

2009. No Longer Home Alone

John 15:13-17

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... . 2. Jesus redeemed us for friendship. I like the way Jesus defines "friendship" in our Gospel reading from John 15. He defines friendship as an event. "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (v. 13). There is also the quality of taking one into one's confidence: "I have called you friend because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father" (v. 15). A friend will come through in a pinch: when you need help; when in crisis; when in trouble; when ...

2010. For the Glow of It

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:16-18

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

... McDonald’s). I was studying the rise of the mega “seeker sensitive” church 25 years ago and attended Willow Creek in South Barrington, Illinois, with 3,000 people each at five services. They featured a band as good as any professional band and quality acting performances as good as any major playhouse might put on in order to showcase the gospel message. Even their parking lot ministry volunteer attendants each weekend outnumbered those on the rolls at the church I was serving at the time. When they ...

2011. Nicodemus Came By Night

John 3:1-21

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

Nicodemus came by night. Why by night? Why in darkness? In her book Learning to Walk in the Dark,[1] Barbara Brown Taylor describes numerous biblical images in which darkness — night’s most obvious quality — is “bad news.” Taylor notes that in the New Testament darkness stands for ignorance and, in the case of John’s gospel, darkness stands for spiritual blindness. Nicodemus the Pharisee, came by night, came secretly to speak with Jesus. Those dismissive of Jesus, through their representative ...

2012. The Gathering at Cana

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... will recognize the metaphors and signs of Jesus in the world around you! You will recognize the messages Jesus is giving you in your life and in the lives of others! Once you have tasted the “wine” of the covenant, you will recognize that taste, that quality, that exquisiteness anywhere! Even if that wine is hidden under a “homeless coat,” even if that wine is offered from a person you don’t know, even if that wine appears in the guise of an unexpected blessing –you will know it comes from Jesus ...

2013. Soul Food

Luke 9:10-17, Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, John 6:1-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... with or without yeast. The “bread” of the Jews was most times “matza,” unleavened (yeastless) bread. Most of this kind of bread was made from barley. Barley was very popular in Jesus’ day, particularly among the Greeks. It could be of various qualities, the barley of the poor containing the most chaff. Barley was one of the gifts of the promised land. Metaphorically, bread is also a symbol for God’s sustenance and sovereignty, for God’s providence and protection, gifts and salvation. Wholesome ...

2014. What Kind of Sheep Are You?

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20, Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... pastures were less than fruitful. Shepherds were God’s metaphor for loving, kind, nurturing, God-following individuals. And in fact, the shepherds in Jesus’ day often were just those God-respecting, devout kinds of people that God admired most. They had the qualities of great God-followers.* “And this will be a sign FOR YOU.” When the shepherds on the hillside in Bethlehem that starry night heard the Angels’ announcement about the Messiah who was born, they knew exactly where to go ---to the Tower ...

2015. Little Ones

Luke 18:15-17, Matthew 19:13-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... people time to recognize the 23rd psalm.] Little stature….great faith! That’s the definition of a lamb! …And a child! In the scriptures today, Jesus compares a child to a lamb. Why? [Give people time to try to answer….what are the qualities of a lamb? A child?] Children trust. They innocently follow their parents’ voices, follow Jesus’ voice, and Jesus tells us, “such is the kingdom of heaven.” That kind of trust. That kind of innocence. That kind of loyalty. And faith. Great, great faith ...

2016. Slow Burn

Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... easily dissolves in water. And it quickly hardens when dry (think of Lot’s wife!) It also can lose its “saltiness.” Whether caught in a rainstorm or heated numerous times as oven “charcoal,” sooner or later, the salt would lose its “saltiness,” its mineral qualities and its ability to serve as a catalyst for the oven. At that time, the slab of salt would be removed and discarded (to be trampled underfoot). It was no longer useful. It no longer had any of the properties of its former self. It ...

2017. The Plank

Matthew 5:38-48; 7:1-6

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... not on the person. This is not far from Hillel’s quote: “Don’t judge your fellow human being until you have reached that person’s place.” Or a common saying in the Mishna, “Judge everyone favorably” meaning “look for their good qualities.” Many of the psalms indicate, we should leave the judging to God (Paul agrees), while David and Amos, as well as Leviticus warn of “bad judgments.” “You shall do no injustice in judgment.” (Leviticus 19:15). For Amos, when injustice rules, life ...

2018. Sycamore Blues

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in Luke 17:6: “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say to this sycamine tree, ‘be plucked up by the root, and be planted in the sea,’ and it should obey you.” The fruit of the fig, while sweet, is sub quality to the fig tree. But its heart-shaped leaves emit a sweet fragrance. When Jesus calls Zacchaeus down from the tree (calls him out) of the tree, and he stands face to face with Jesus, his attitude is miraculously changed. This intimate engagement between Jesus and the man ...

2019. Peter the Petulant

Mark 14:1-11, Mark 14:12-26, Mark 14:27-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... stone or rock must learn to be a building block in Jesus’ spiritual Temple, a living stone, rather than a stone to throw at those who oppose Jesus’ mission. Peter’s impetuousness, his headstrong and hotheaded reactions later become needed qualities of strength, perseverance, passion, and impetus, as he takes on the “yoke” of Jesus’ ministry. In a sense, this ritual Jesus introduces during dinner becomes a “Day of Atonement” for his disciples, especially those he knows will betray and deny ...

2020. House of God

Ephesians 2:1-10, Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... new and extraordinary. In pesto, in any really great recipe, you can have many flavors, but they exist in a kind of relationship in which they don’t just form one new common flavor, but together they all contribute their own unique quality and texture in order to create something new –something of “uncommon taste” and “uncommon beauty.” [You can optionally read or play another clip as well from the movie:] Remy: [sniffing a cake] Flour, eggs, sugar... vanilla bean... Oh, small twist of lemon ...

2021. You are Anointed

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... God’s people. It was a consecration of a mission of holiness, a sending. And the reminder was a lasting fragrance.** When Samuel is sent to David, he is sent along with a horn of oil for anointing a king, someone who will exhibit certain qualities God desires –humility, servanthood, artistry, calm, a good and innocent heart. David found joy in his life in the fields. His face shone with the ruddiness of joy. He exhibited the “fragrance” of covenant in his life, and would therefore receive the oil of ...

2022. Elisha's Bones

2 Kings 13:10-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... fundamentally important. Its root mean “life-giving.” Touch is important. But more than important. Touch is life-giving. Touch gives love bones that dream and dance. We learn in the scripture for today that Elisha’s bones seem to have that life-giving quality. A dead man comes into contact with Elisha’s bones, and lo and behold, he immediately is given resurrected life, and he stands up on his feet! The Israelites are carrying the lifeless body of their compatriot to a deserted place in the hills ...

2023. Wave Riders and Deep-Sea Divers

Jonah 1:1-17, Jonah 2:1-10, Jonah 3:1-10, Jonah 4:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . Jonah wasn’t ready yet. He wasn’t quite formed enough. He had that fiery temper that God loved to use for preaching! He had a lot of gumption, and get up and go (he sure had get up and go, didn’t he!?). He had a lot of great qualities that God valued in a preacher and a prophet. But Jonah got a bit big for his britches, my grandmother might say. And he thought he could say “no” to God. Anyone here ever tried saying “no” to God? Doesn’t work too well, does it? If you try to ...

2024. All In

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of Jesus as the Light syncs too with the images in Revelation. Light is a metaphor of sight, of revealing. In Light, we experience the inexplicable God in a tangible kind of way, and we attribute to God all of those qualities that go with burning –power, unpredictability, uncontrollable passion, purity, love and heat, intensity, the ability to consume, blinding unknowability. The light and the mountain metaphor combined (which also suggests the place where God dwells “on high” and where the light is ...

2025. Heart of a Pelican

Matthew 17:24-27, Exodus 30:11-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the time we spend doing that activity with him or her. We can eat foods we don’t much care for, if it means that we please the one who prepared it. We can go to the gym even if we hate it, if it means that we gain the quality of life we want and love. All of us in some way participate in a culture of “bring home the bacon” or “eat your spinach” if you will. But our true love and loyalty lies in our relationships with what most gives us joy. For some of us it’s ...

Showing results