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 2101 to 2125 of 5000 results

2101. The Knot: Bound

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

James Merritt

Do you ever wonder how a pastor determines what he is going to preach on each week—or each year? Sometimes it’s difficult, but other times there is a clear, strong call from God on a specific area of teaching. In this case, the area of marriage has for me been a clear, strong call from God in terms of teaching for this time in the life of our church. The reason is very simple. Hardly a week goes by that I don’t hear of someone having trouble in their marriage, both in our church and outside our church. It ...

2102. Do Not Forget the Lord

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

Not by Bread Alone: Like chapter 7, this chapter is also very skillfully organized in a loose chiastic fashion, with the same “in and out” pattern as in chapter 7. A The land sworn to the forefathers; command given today (v. 1) B Wilderness as place of humbling, testing, and provision (vv. 2–6) C A good land (vv. 7–9) D You will eat and be satisfied (v. 10) E Bless the LORD; Do not forget (v. 11) D′ You will eat and be satisfied (v. 12a) C′ A good land (vv. 12b–14) B′ Wilderness as place of humbling, ...

2103. I Once Was Blind…and Maybe I Still Am

John 9:1-41

Sermon

King Duncan

An English missionary named Roland Allen once told about an older missionary who came up and introduced himself to him one day after he had delivered a sermon. The older man said that he had been a medical missionary for many years in India. He served in a region where there was an environmental condition that was causing progressive blindness in many of the people of that region. People were born with healthy vision, but there was something that caused people to lose their sight as they grew older. As ...

2104. Pop Verses: Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Today I continue our series “Pop Verses.” We are taking a closer look at some of the most popular Bible verses. We are going to find out why they are so popular and how they apply to our lives. What you might discover is that some of these verses don’t mean what you think they mean or they mean a lot more than you think they mean. You see, quite often our favorites verses are just that – they’re verses. They’re not read in light of the passage in which they appear. This can lead to a misunderstanding about ...

2105. Absalom Returns to Jerusalem

2 Samuel 14:1-33

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

Absalom – In Geshur and Jerusalem: 14:1 Although his reason for wanting Absalom back in Israel is obscure, Joab plays the key role in the account of Absalom’s return. Again, the writers’ awareness of people, their characters, and their motivations is remarkable. Both Joab and Absalom are portrayed with a great deal of insight. It is possible that Joab had tried before to obtain a pardon for Absalom, as David’s comment in verse 19 could indicate. That would then explain the circuitous route that Joab used ...

2106. Absalom's Conspiracy

2 Samuel 15:1-12

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

2107. Getting It Right in the Coming Year

Galatians 4:4-7

Sermon

King Duncan

It seems strange that New Year’s Eve should fall on a Sunday. But that, of course, is what today is. Many of you are looking forward to New Year’s Eve parties. I’ve always appreciated writer Bill Vaughan’s words: “Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to.” I won’t ask how late some of you will be up. Some of you will celebrate via your television. I also like what some comedian said about that. He said, “I love it when they drop the ball in Times ...

2108. The True Story Wins

Matthew 28:11-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: a stone or rock, some scissors, and paper; a basket of stones or rocks that can be handed out Participation: During the sermon, all can participate using the hand motions of “rock, paper, scissors” Are you a liar? That might be a question asked of you if you live in the mountains of West Virginia, where the art of storytelling is called “lying.” It is every artist’s desire to become a “great liar.” To be a great “liar” meant that you could not only write a crafty short story, but you could “tell” the ...

2109. Heart of a Pelican

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

Sermon

Lori Wagner

It’s football season! Whether or not you are a fan of the game of football, you can’t help getting swept up in some of the hype of this great American sport! We love the excitement on people’s faces, as they get ready to watch the game. We love the crowds, the food, the energy of the game. Many of you are rooting for one or the other of the teams on the ticket. Some of you will gather with friends in front of the television. Some of you may even go to the Super Bowl. Has anyone here this morning ever been ...

2110. The Rabbi's Apprentice

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

In 1797, prominent German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote a poem called “Der Zauberlehrling,” in which an apprentice of a master sorcerer is left alone with chores to do. Invoking magic that he was not yet properly trained to use, the apprentice commanded a bucket and broom to do his work. Because he could not properly control them, everything got quickly out of hand, and chaos ensued. Finally, the master returned and restored order to the mess. Walt Disney famously employed the plot of the poem in ...

2111. Faith and Freedom

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

During World War II, a General and one of his Lieutenants were traveling from their base to a base in another state. They were forced to travel with civilians aboard a passenger train. They found their compartment, where two other folks were already seated. There they found an attractive young lady and her grandmother. The four of them had a friendly visit for most of the trip, at least until the train entered a long and rather dark tunnel. Once inside the tunnel, the passengers in this particular car ...

2112. In the Wilderness of Temptation

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I had the strangest dream the other night. I found myself standing at the gates of heaven talking to St. Peter. I thought, "Oh, man, there's still a bunch of stuff I haven't done yet." St. Peter grinned and said, "Don't worry, you're just here for a guided tour." And sure enough that's all it was. St. Peter took me around showing me all the sights. The streets really are paved with gold. Everything was more beautiful than I could ever describe. But there was one really strange aspect about heaven. ...

2113. Hanging Around Jesus Changes You

Philippians 3:17 — 4:1

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Writing to Christians in a Macedonian city of Philippi, Paul writes: “For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ...” (v.18). People don’t like this message, don’t want anything to do with the cross of Christ. No surprise. Who of us wants to mess with death and suffering? Why, it’s just common sense. Cross-bearing goes against the grain of what pop culture in America tells us about life. It goes against the grain of our desire for instant gratification. After all, we’ve been taught to follow our dreams ...

2114. Partners with the Divine

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

Today I am thinking about what it means to be partners. For me, the first person that comes to mind when I think about this is my spouse. I am beyond blessed to have someone who is, in every way, a partner in life. We share the joys and the sorrows, the struggles and the laughter, and we take responsibility for our own behavior while making sure we “have each other’s back.” This is a partnership where it’s possible to sit for hours in a room together, each with a book to read. No words are shared. No ...

2115. Being Different

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

John Jamison

Picture it this way. The teenage daughter walks in the house. “Hey mom, dad, guess what? I was down at the gas station filling up the car when something happened. An angel walked up and told me that I was going to have a baby. Wow! Can you believe it?” I’m not trying to make light of the scripture today, but if you think about it, that’s about how this story began. According to tradition, Mary had gone down to the village well to get water. It was one of the routine chores the young girls in the family ...

2116. A Woman Dancing

Exodus 15:20, 21

Sermon

Will Willimon

"Then Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dancing. And Miriam sang to them: 'Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."' (Exodus 15:20, 21) The serious, white, Western reporter commented, ''Here in South Africa, funerals of slain black South Africans begin as religious services but are quickly transformed into something like political demonstrations." ...

2117. The Contestant

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Everyone loves a good duel! At least in the movies we do. Our hero goes up against a worthy foe, and we hold our breath while the opponents or contestants raise their swords, commence, and fight to the bitter end. The “dual” usually comes about in order to defend someone’s honor –whether one’s own, a friend’s, or a maiden’s. In the end, we hope that our hero will win, and honor will be restored. When we think about contestants today, however, we rarely think about duels. We think primarily of game shows. ...

2118. The Power of Weakness

Mark 8:27-38 · Psalm 19

Sermon

Thomas C. Willadsen

Our lessons this morning feels like an archery target. The psalm starts with the long view, the perspective of the psalmist marveling at the beauty of creation. “The heavens are telling the glory of God,” it begins, but that translation doesn’t quite capture the essence of what is to be expressed Psalm 19:1 (NRSV). It more closely means, “The heavens are continually telling the glory of God.” It’s always happening, without ceasing. All we have to do is look up, notice the beauty of the stars, feel the ...

2119. Good News / Bad News

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. Luke 12:51 Sports writers still talk about the joy they used to take in interviewing the great New York Yankees catcher, Yogi Berra. Yogi was something of a rough-hewn philosopher given to malaprops and seemingly contradictory statements that managed to, somehow, still make a weird kind of sense. It was Yogi who said: “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” And, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” When giving his opinion of a New York ...

2120. Behold The Man Who Takes Away Sin

John 1:29-34

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

G. K. Chesterton was once asked the question, "Why did you join the church so late in life?" He answered, "To get rid of my sins."1 That is a wonderful answer. It is still the solution for so many of the world's problems and the problems of people everywhere. So many of us know that there is something wrong, something which must be set right at some point along the way. And we want someone to set things right. Yet, many times we have the feeling that we cannot break through, cannot make the connection, ...

2121. Twelfth Night

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Drama

Jerry Eckert

Comment: For Christmas Eve, 1993, we went to a simple format. The liturgist and I alternated as we did prayers, carols, and scripture texts about Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, and concluded with a candlelight ceremony. Planning for 1994 again made us search our imaginations. Maybe these moods go in cycles. We felt we wanted something more for this new year. I suggested the "You Are There" format (from CBS's radio and television programs of that name) and that got several excited. It involved people from the ...

2122. The Majesty Of God's Love

John 17:1-11

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Jesus was drawing near to the end of his farewell discourse to his disciples, a sermon he gave to them (according to John) on the evening of the last supper. In our gospel lesson for today, Jesus broke into a prayer to the Father. It is a famous prayer called the high priestly prayer. There are many spiritual riches to mine in this prayer and our text. For our purposes today on this last Sunday of Easter, the Sunday after the festival of Jesus' ascension into heaven with the church's celebration of the ...

2123. Recollections of Enoch, A Jewish Captive In Babylon

Isaiah 12:1-6

Drama

Robert A. Morgan

I thought I was an old man when we were brought to Babylon, and I am ten years older now. I never expected to live this long under what I assumed would be the acute hardships of being captives, held against our wills in this strange land so far from home. But actually, daily life since we reached here has not been all that difficult. The journey from Jerusalem was very difficult. The Babylonian soldiers who had herded us together saw to that. There were not enough horses or donkeys to carry us all, and ...

2124. Is The Gospel Only For Women?

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

My theme for this All Saints’ Sunday is the question, "Is the Gospel only for women?" Let me explain why I put it that way. Recently I attended a theological conference at which one of the lecturers was a woman, a professor at a church college. She observed that although there are more women in the church than men, we men are still in control, that theology - the study of God - has always been a man’s world and that all the definitions of God are usually in terms of experiences that pertain to men. She ...

2125. A Sermon for Passion Sunday

Matthew 27:45-56

Sermon

Dean Lueking

On this Passion Sunday, we stand again at the threshold of the Great Seven Days, this week of time that takes us to the inmost heart of the work that God has done for us through Christ his Son. As we prepare to hear the passion story of Jesus’ suffering as proclaimed by St. Matthew, I invite you to hear one sentence in particular. It is that word of our Lord from the Cross that is at once the most anguished account and the Gospel which comes to us from it: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" ( ...

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