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 201 to 225 of 635 results

201. The Healing Power of Touch

Matthew 9:18-26

Sermon

Brett Blair

... , or a terribly dirty person, then you are unwilling to minister to them. The Menninger Institute in Topeka, Kansas once had a fascinating experiment. They identified a group of crib babies who did not cry. Let me explain. It seems that babies cry because they instinctively know that that is the way to get attention. Crying is their way of calling out. These babies, however, had been in abusive situations. Their parents let them cry for hours on end and never responded. Do you know what happened? The babies ...

202. To Our Heart’s Content

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Susan Hedahl

... according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. (Luke 2:29-32 RSV) It had happened at last and Simeon instinctively knew it. From the minor references in the prophets to the final birth that changed everything, Simeon recognized that he had been singled out to see with the eyes of faith the entire scope of God’s plan for humanity. But what had changed in Simeon ...

203. Song of an Exile

Psalm 16:1-11

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... has placed the psalmist where he is, the Lord now advises him daily on what he should do, disciplining his soul in the process. Not only does God make the singer’s duty plain to him; he also directs his thinking into positive channels and undergirds his instincts so he may trust them to guide him right. Especially does the Lord speak to him in the cool of the evening when the author’s tormentors are asleep in their houses and the hostile sounds of alien streets have fallen silent. In fact, so real to ...

204. Song of a Shepherd

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... . In his day he may have been a shepherd. But now the years have siphoned his stamina. So he sits and reminisces on what used to be. And as he does so he observes another shepherd silhouetted against the sky leading a flock to a greener pasture. Instinctively, the sight turns the poet’s mind to the numberless days and nights he tended his own flocks under God’s watchful eye; and once again, as has happened so often before, he finds his heart flooding with gratitude: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not ...

205. Song of a Prophet

Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... , he suggests that so, too, will his neighbors in Jerusalem shape their ways after the Holy One in their midst. Hence their very awareness that God is with them will hold them fast in the faith (Psalm 46:4, 5). A Championing God The singer’s prophetic instincts, however, will not let him rest his case here. For he realizes that none but a powerful King can accomplish what the Lord has done. Nor has the Almighty ceased to achieve victory "in the midst of the earth" (cf. Psalm 74:12). The times are still ...

206. Hector’s Case Against Christmas

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Erskine White

... for that matter. This is the angel our modern Bible doesn’t tell you about. His name was Hector. Hector was a distant cousin of Gabriel’s on his mother’s side, and he had always been known as something of a pessimist and cynic. His natural instinct was to expect the worst in every person and every situation. He lived by the motto, "Never give suckers an even break because they will probably take advantage of you later." Hector was the kind of angel that after you shook hands with him, he would count ...

207. Break Through

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... are willing. Our willingness and trust are necessary to the fulfillment of God’s intent. That’s what this young woman did. The story Luke tells us shows no reasoning out of the possibilities, no weighing of the pros and cons, no indecision. She apparently instinctively trusted in the word from God. So, in time a child was born, and once again God broke through in something that seemed small and insignificant, at least as the world measures events. And because of Mary’s willing trust the promise of God ...

208. Egypt: Unlikely Refuge

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... in the footsteps of Jesus, you probably will not include Egypt in your itinerary. What does Egypt have to do with Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Jordan River, and the Sea of Galilee? Egypt is exciting as the land of the pyramids and the Sphinx, but we don’t instinctively think of it as part of our Master’s story. But it belongs to his story, in a strange and wonderful way. You’ll find it in the Gospel of Matthew. When the wise men came looking for Jesus, they stopped in Jerusalem to seek further directions ...

209. Stewards and Our Bodies

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... from well-meaning physical education teachers in public schools who may not be permitted to include the religious element of being good stewards of our bodies. As caretakers of God’s temple (which is our body) and as stewards of its drives, instincts, and energy, we must learn about, become comfortable with, and teach others about this great gift of body, male and female. Sexually, we must never use the other partner for our own egos or gratification alone. The integrity of our relationship is crucial ...

210. I Am The Good Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... find a brain tumor. But his fears are unfounded. The doctor announces to him that all is well. In the next scene we see Woody coming out of the hospital, kicking up his heels, and running joyfully down the street. He is celebrating. But suddenly he stops. We know instinctively why he stops. He tells us in the next scene. "All this means," he says, "is that I am all right this time. Next time it will probably be serious. What is the meaning of life anyway?" The whole scene is funny in the movie the way Woody ...

211. The Miracle of Salvation

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

... at the cross forgiveness is possible. Why did Jesus have to die? There are a number of theories of the atonement which have been taken seriously and I suppose they boil down to these reasons. Jesus died to SHOW US THE COST OF FORGIVENESS. We know instinctively that a cheap forgiveness is no forgiveness at all. Our actions might be condoned but that’s not the same as being forgiven. You can ignore an act - but that isn’t forgiveness either. Only when you have suffered yourself are you able to forgive. If ...

212. Back To Basics: The Three R's of Baptism

Mark 1:1-8, Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Brett Blair

... turning. The leaves are beginning to turn from green to red to orange. The birds are beginning to turn and are heading once more toward the south. The animals are beginning to turn to storing their food for the winter. For leaves, birds and animals, turning comes instinctively. But for us, turning does not come so easily. It takes an act of will for us to make a turn. It means breaking old habits. It means admitting that we have been wrong, and this is never easy. It means losing face. It means starting all ...

213. Everyone Is Searching For You

Mark 1:35-39

Sermon

Brett Blair

... piece of you, and demanding your time? I First, remember that hard work is required. We all have to work. We work at our jobs; we work at home; we do homework; we even work on our marriages. And why do we do all this work? I think most of instinctively know what Proverbs explicitly warns, “A little sleep a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and your want will come in like a blind man.” We are fools, the wisdom book tells us, if we say to ourselves, a little more sleep, a little more ...

214. Love - A Christian Imperative

John 15:1-17

Sermon

George Bass

... daily life and relationships with other people in order to judge how emotionally mature - how effective - you are." The seventh standard on his list is "the need to love." He writes, in part: "Along with the instictive drive to hate, we also have an instinctive drive to love. It must be allowed a chance to express itself. The only neutralization we know for hate is love, love in the broad sense, love that makes me want to do something constructive rather than destructive. This business of learning how to ...

215. A Thimble Full Of Ocean

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Larry Powell

... of the young men in the family happened casually to glance out the kitchen window of their humble flat. Every nerve tensed and his body cringed as he observed a strange man driving slowly down the street peering intensely toward the house through binoculars. Instinctively, and shuddering in fright, he rapidly jerked down the window shade. It was a tense moment as the family huddled in the middle of the floor. It was only later that day that the strange man’s identity became known. He was a meter reader ...

216. God’s Choice

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Roger Prescott

... had all the makings of an "inner light." We smile at that, but there truly is an "inner light" which distinguishes people who are rooted in love and truth. True inner power and light will not shine out easily, but can be observed by listening to our instincts about a person and remembering that "we look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." Samuel was so in tune with God that he listened to His will in selecting David to be anointed as king. And, arguably, David was Israel’s ...

217. Lifting the Burden of Guilt

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... When I reach that place of belonging, I am forgiven and I am ever being restored. God is working out his ordered life in me. I am in agitated peace. Many psychiatrists are beginning to recognize that mental breakdown comes not from repressing basic instincts, but from repressing our normal faith in God, our inner experience of Truth, our inner awareness of a moral order. Cover up the truth, and the truth cries out in many ways. The grass breaks through the asphalt. Faith is the subconscious awareness that ...

218. The Good News of Easter

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Brett Blair

... If Christ has not been raised from the dead then your faith is in vain and our preaching is in vain. Not only that, we have been found to be misrepresenting God, for we testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.” The resurrection affirms our instinctive conviction that death is not the end of a person’s story. Your story is rooted in the heart of God. It is, of course, true, that a day shall come when we shall all die and enough time will ultimately pass that no living person will speak ...

219. Making Babies Cry

Mark 5:21-43

Illustration

Brett Blair

The Menninger Institute in Topeka, Kansas once had a fascinating experiment. They identified a group of crib babies who did not cry. Let me explain. It seems that babies cry because they instinctively know that this is the way to get attention. Crying is their way of calling out. These babies, however, had been in abusive situations. Their parents let hem cry for hours on end and never responded. Do you know what happened? The babies eventually quit crying. It is almost as ...

220. You're Going To Have A Baby!

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... of the experience was unsettling to this teenaged girl. She asks, "What's it all about?" If each of us is going to have a baby this Christmas, we too can be troubled. If Christ is to be born in us, we have the same reaction as the Virgin Mary. Instinctively we ask, "Who am I? What did God find in me that he would humble himself to be born in me?" As the centurion said to Jesus, "I am not worthy to have you come to my house." Look, Lord, I am a sinner, I am not fit to be ...

221. The Long Lonliness

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... evolution ... Man, by contrast, is alone with the knowledge of his history until the day of his death" (The Star Thrower, p. 37). So it is, Eiseley would suggest, that we have been thrust out of the self-contained and self-imprisoning worlds of impulse and instinct into the worlds of thought and self-transcendence. We are of the world -- out of the dust and minerals of the earth -- earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. And yet we are not of the world -- we are a mind reflective and a spirit ...

222. The Scattering of Lesser Figures

Acts 8:9-25

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... of the Air, Sermon Stories. The Reilly and Lee Company, Chicago, pp. 154-157. I have transposed the story into my own words and summarized its narrative. 2. F. W. Boreham, The Blue Flame (New York: Abingdon Press, 1930), pp. 220-223. His chapter, “The Instinct of the Circumference,” was most useful. 3. As told in Herb Miller, Fishing on the Asphalt (St. Louis: CBP Press, 1987), pp. 32. 4. My colleague Will Willimon is the author of this quote as he calls attention to “the church demanded reprentance ...

223. His Resurrection

John 20:1-9, John 20:10-18

Sermon

Brett Blair

224. The Devil Made Me Do It

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... no excuses for his previous crime (how refreshing!) and knew that he could not repay society for the wrong. However, he did wish to do something right where he had previously done what was wrong.(8) Good for him. Yes, since the beginning of time our first instinct has been to blame others for our own failures. Instead of accepting responsibility, we claim we are victims of cruel and callous forces. It would serve us right if God simply turned away and allowed us to stew in our own sins. But that is not the ...

225. The Ten Commandments #3: God's Name

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... MY WITNESS, I promise to...do this or that," or "MAY GOD STRIKE ME DEAD, if I fail to...do this or that." The idea is that God is offered as guarantor of the promise. Serious stuff. Well, human beings are clever, especially when falling to our baser instincts. As the poet says, "O what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive."(6) As background to this, remember how seriously the ancient world took the mention of the name of God. Indeed, some of the faithful Jews of Jesus' day, to avoid any ...

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