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 428 results

201. A Sign or a Son?

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... than darken the door of such a cheesy, self-promoting, litter-the-landscape-with-tacky-signs tourist trap. Anything that needs to advertise itself so deliberately, so indiscriminately, must not be worth a second thought. The glut of signs fills some of us with suspicion, not eager anticipation. Apparently the crowd of people who followed Jesus from one side of the Sea of Galilee to the other would have been great fans of Wall Drug. They had just been the recipients of one of Jesus' most astonishing miracles ...

202. Lent 3

Jn 4:5-42 · Rom 5:1-11 · Ex 17:1-7 · Ps 95

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... rock with the word of God and water flows, and the people drink. So, too, the priest [in the Eucharist] touches the chalice and water flows in the chalice and leaps up for eternal life. [quoted in Nocent, II, p. 95] Typological preaching came under suspicion with the advent of the scholarly scientific-historical method and was frequently derided as "seeing Jesus behind every rock in the Old Testament." The intent of such preaching is not to see "the little man who wasn't there"; rather, it is to view the ...

203. The Lost and Found Sheep

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

... his church immediately. Of course, there was a charge for the healing. Most people in town were very suspicious of Father Gabriel and thought he was nothing more than a charlatan, a sham, “a fly-by-night-take-the-money and run con man.” Their suspicions proved to be right on target because… two years later Father Gabriel was arrested in another city. Weeks before, in the middle-of-the night he had taken off with thousands and thousands of dollars he had bilked out of innocent, naïve, gullible people ...

204. The Lost and Found Son

Luke 15:11-24

Sermon

James W. Moore

... … Do you still want me? If I don’t see a ribbon ‘round the old oak tree, I’ll stay on the bus, forget about us, put the blame on me… if I don’t see a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree.” Now, I have a strong suspicion that this song was inspired by an old, old story that preachers have loved to tell for many generations. There are such obvious similarities… that it just couldn’t be a coincidence. See what you think. - The sermonic story takes place on a train rather than a bus. - The ...

205. Life in the Living Stone Age

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ” I pick up certain stones. To say I collect them puts it in much too organized a fashion, as I do not sort, label, or even take the trouble to identify them (igneous, sedimentary, etc.). Here is what makes me pick up a stone: the knowledge or suspicion that it has been part of an amazing story. For example, I have somewhere at home (probably in a dresser drawer) a chunk of the Berlin Wall and a pebble from the Adriatic Sea. More importantly, I have elaborately imagined life-histories for each, which will ...

206. What's Your Hospitality Quotient?

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... hospitality to shame. An American journalist named Afshin Molavi traveled through Iran a couple of years ago gathering information for a magazine article on the changes that are sweeping that country. The fear of terrorism causes us to view Iranians with suspicion, but Molavi reports that the Iranian people he met were gracious and welcoming. The Iranians are famous for their hospitality to strangers. When Molavi mentioned to his taxi driver that he would love a cup of the fresh pomegranate juice sold ...

207. The Scarlet Letter

Exodus 20:14

Sermon

James Merritt

... in store after your immorality is found out: Your mate will experience the anguish of betrayal, shame, rejection, heartache, and loneliness. No amount of repentance will soften those blows. Your mate can never again say that you are a model of fidelity. Suspicion will rob her, or him, of trust. Your escapade(s) will introduce to your life, and your mate's life, the very real probability of a sexually transmitted disease. The total devastation your sinful actions will bring to your children is immeasurable ...

208. Let Me Tell You about the Birds and the Bees

Proverbs 5:15-23

Sermon

James Merritt

... have in store after your immorality is found out. Your mate will experience the anguish of betrayal, shame, rejection, heartache, and loneliness. No amount of repentance will soften those blows. Your mate can never again say that you are a model of fidelity. Suspicion will rob her or him of trust. Your escapade (s) will introduce to your life and your mate's life the very real probability of a sexually transmitted disease. The total devastation your sinful actions will bring to your children is immeasurable ...

209. The Grasshopper Mentality

Numbers 13:26-33

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... have little self-confidence and lots of fears. In a recent poll taken by Americans in their 20’s, this question was asked: “What is the basic feeling you have about life?” Sixty percent said, “Fear.” (1) That surprising data confirms my suspicions that the level of fear and anxiety runs high in America, even in a time of great prosperity. Most people define themselves either by their problems or their possibilities. Fearful people wake up each morning and locate themselves on a problem chart. But ...

210. Sending Good Messages

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... must be protected at all costs. Dr. Paul Tournier, the great Swiss psychiatrist, has written that for a husband or wife to keep a significant secret from the other can be as damaging as an act of adultery. Each secret creates distance, encourages suspicion, and reduces sharing. Speaking the truth, and doing it lovingly, is a challenge, especially when the truth is unpleasant. Some spouses replace the truth with an overdose of sympathy. They say, “Oh John, what’s happening at the office is not your fault ...

211. Plea for Discipline

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... for that spiritual detail because it shows us there is a kind of holy objectivity that translates into perfect justice. The Father in his providence has made room for all of us to be judged on his terms, so that his will is always ultimately done. My suspicion is that only a few of us have known a Judas who would knowingly and deliberately betray the Christ. As we survey the field of those who may very well have disowned our Lord in open and clandestine ways, we are firmly reminded of even our possible ...

212. Making Disciples

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... understand the proof is in the pudding. Body 1. False advertising is an ever-present malady. As some have maintained, anything or anyone can be made to look very good or very bad, depending upon the skill of a given promoter. I have a strong suspicion we view this happening everyday in some form or another. Of course, there is nothing new about such phenomenon, as Saint Paul recognizes. We wished it weren't true in our churches but frankly, it is seen with regularity. Sometimes repentance is needed. Some of ...

213. The Mighty Have Fallen. Are We Next?

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27, 2 Samuel 1:17-27, Psalm 117:1-2

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... become prophets of your peace. May it be so, in your name. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Would that we knew the things that make for peace! How the mighty have fallen! Even now, God, you call to us, begging us to turn away from our hatred and suspicion. You take no joy in the fall of sinners, but desire earnestly that all should turn to you, and that all your children should be reconciled to each other. May we work for true peace, joyful reunion, ardent reconciliation. Let peace begin with each of us here ...

214. Words Of One Syllable

John 3:1-17

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." We don't know where the Spirit comes from or where it goes, but the Spirit is here. Come, let us be born again, not into fear and suspicion, but love, truth, and service. Collect Praise to the Lord, the Almighty. Praise to the Son of God, the triumphant. Praise to the Spirit of God, present and powerful. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Infinite and inexhaustible God, we know you only in the ways you are revealed. We ...

215. Stepping Out on Faith

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... the suspicious package had been $24,000 in cash. The box contained bundles of $20 bills, $1,000 of which were destroyed in the blast. “This was a first, finding money,” said platoon leader Jim Seim. The package “arrived in such a way that it aroused our suspicions,” he said. “We were able to render it neutral. We always,” he explained, “err on the side of caution.” (1) Many of us are like that. If we are going to err, it will be on the side of caution. You can tell our native caution by ...

216. Bethlehem's Two Roads

Hebrews 10:5-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... change the direction of your life as well? This is the Sunday all Christians take a pilgrimage to Bethlehem. Why Bethlehem? It is an unlikely choice: a grubby little village overrun with transients and filled with inhabitants who looked upon their neighbors with suspicion and upon strangers with hatred - not to mention innkeepers who charged exorbitant rates. But we still go to Bethlehem, a nowhere place where a nobody known as Mary gave birth to a noisy child with a nothing name like Jesus. Again, why ...

217. A.Y.O.R. (At Your Own Risk)

Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... have more unscheduled moments in our lives. Sociology professor John P. Robinson of the University of Maryland has recently studied the "time diaries" (daily appointment books like Day-Timers) of busy people from 1965, 1975, and 1985. His findings not only confirm our own suspicions that we are busier than we used to be, but he suggests just what it is that is eating up all our days and nights. "Much of our free time," Robinson concludes, "is absorbed by the process of deciding what to do with it" (Waldman ...

218. Make Disciples

Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... are, they do not make up the essence of what a disciple for Christ is, what a disciple of Christ is empowered to do. Jesus didn't give his disciples simple, safe tasks when he commissioned them into his ministry. His raw recruits, still smelling of fish and suspicion, were called to: cure the sick raise the dead cleanse the lepers cast out demons. How would any of you like to be handed that as a list of "things to do" by your pastor? How many of you would volunteer for discipleship if you realized those ...

219. Tabloid Testaments?

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... on Ministry. One of the "situational causes" of low clergy morale named in this study was this: "Who can you trust any more?" is the cry of those who look to the covenant community for support and comfort in times of low morale. Fear, suspicion and mistrust keep colleagues from truly sharing their hurts and hopes in ministry. The ecclesiastical grapevine is one of the wonders of the modern world. Information passes among us at a speed which defies Einstein's long held maxim that no communication can travel ...

220. James 3:13-18

James 3:13-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... determining the prevailing beliefs and behaviors of communities. Those in prominent positions shoulder a great responsibility. Whether the community will savor the sweetness of spiritual harmony, fellowship, and peace; or whether the bitterness of acrid divisiveness, suspicion, and Cain-killing spirits will flavor all communal relationships is often determined by these leaders and teachers. Unsurprisingly, James is more than passingly familiar with the negative energies that are easily ignited in the newly ...

221. 2 Samuel 7:1-17

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... place ("hometown") and twice from people ("kin" and "their own house"). Mark's rendition emphasizes the utterness of the prophet's rejection. Verse 5 adds a uniquely Marcan conclusion to this story. Because of the pervasive attitude of disbelief and suspicion, Jesus finds his healing powers restricted. Mark's observation of this limitation is found more clearly articulated in the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas. In it Jesus adds to his own insight about prophets by following it with the statement, "No physician ...

222. James 3:13-18

James 3:13-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

223. Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... steward followed by two comments. The second part consists of an aphoristic section that builds, if somewhat tenuously, upon the parable in the first part. The parable itself is intriguing. A rich landowner, no doubt an absentee landlord, acts on the suspicion that the administrator of his business affairs has squandered and embezzled his fortune (v.1). The accused is summoned to the boss' office, is required to turn over the books, and is summarily dismissed from his employment. The steward has not ...

224. Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... closed to any mediating scouts. In the old model "creationist" war against "evolutionists," "creation science" rams into archaeological research and biblical literalists hold out against historical-critical scholars. Even within supposedly kindred camps there is suspicion and animosity - as between the "evangelical concordists" (those who seek to harmonize Genesis with modern science) and "evangelical nonconcordists" (those who define Genesis as neither history nor science, and so find no need to try ...

225. Matthew 10:40-42

Matthew 10:40-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and the negative works and attitudes their enemies may turn towards them, Jesus now shifts attention away from the apostles to the actions of those who would host them on their travels. Despite the warning (vv.14-39) that nothing but suspicion and animosity lay between the synagogue and the church, verse 40 now suggests the possibility of some successful contact with the larger Jewish community. When welcoming happens, Jesus wants both the host and the guest to understand the mutuality of the relationship ...

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