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 2251 to 2275 of 5000 results

2251. THE MARRIAGE GAP

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

William McKee Aber

It’s interesting to me that the Christian Church, which makes a great use of symbols - both pictorial and verbal - has chosen to retain the symbol of sacrifice when describing the faith, and has rejected another symbol that is widely used throughout Scripture. I refer to marriage. Christ calls himself a "bridegroom"; the church (and also Israel) is referred to as the bride; the covenant relationship of God and Israel is allegorized in the story of Hosea and an unfaithful wife; and the very word "covenant ...

2252. Reinforced With Joy

John 15:1-17

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

Last fall I was invited to a luncheon to hear an outstanding leader in the business world. I sat next to the president of one of our local industries. While we were visiting, stillness fell about our table as everyone there stopped talking and listened to our conversation. When the industrial leader realized this, he looked at the other men at the table and said, "I want to ask the pastor a question which I think we all want to know." Turning to me, he said, "Dr. Gar, why is it that there is so little joy ...

2253. The Bush Is Still Burning

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

David E. Leininger

There is an old story of a very long evening. The search committee for a new pastor had been going over resumé after resumé in hopes of finding the perfect minister. None so far. Tired of the whole process, they were about ready to call it a night when they came upon this letter of introduction from a candidate: To the Pulpit Nominating Committee: It is my understanding that you are in the process of searching for a new pastor, and I would like to apply for the position. I wish I could say that I am a ...

2254. Winning over Worry

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Winning over worry. Nice thought, eh? Of all the living things that God created, we human beings are the only ones that worry. And we worry about everything - gas prices, the stock market, taxes, jobs, marriages, parents worry about children, children worry about parents. You name it, somebody is worrying about it. As of yesterday, four of the top five best selling non-fiction hardback books on Amazon.com were dealing with subjects we worry about - health, change, relationships, and money. Jesus says we ...

2255. A Lesson From Two Golfers And A Saint

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was a very devout Roman Catholic evangelist. One of the stories that grew out of his ministry concerns a time when he was baptizing new converts in a river. He would wade out waist-deep into the water and call out for new Christians to come to him, one by one, to receive the sacrament. Once he baptized a mountain chieftain. Saint Patrick was holding a staff, called a crosier, in his hands as the new converts made their way to the water. Unfortunately, as he was ...

2256. What Makes A Family?

Mark 3:31-35

Sermon

King Duncan

It was shocking and hard to believe when one of Hollywood's most handsome and athletic stars, Christopher Reeve, suffered an accident that paralyzed him from the neck down. In one tragic moment, a single centimeter in the wrong direction, he was left a quadriplegic. Ironically, during those years when he was living in a wheelchair, most of us still associated him with his most famous role, that of SUPERMAN. In an interview years after the accident, Christopher Reeve and his wife, Dana, talked about the ...

2257. A Healthy Body

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Back in 1985, William R. Greer performed an in-depth chemical analysis of the human body and its mineral properties. His conclusions were published in the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times. Greer claimed that the average human body contained 5 pounds of calcium, 9 ounces of potassium, 1 and 1/2 pounds of phosphorus, 6 ounces of sodium, 6 ounces of sulfur, 1 ounce of magnesium, and trace amounts of iron, iodine, and copper. According to a professor at the Illinois Medical School, the total ...

2258. The Forward Look

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

King Duncan

One secret to being successful in the world is to learn how to motivate yourself as well as others. A tough old cowboy counseled his grandson that if he wanted to live a long life, the secret was to sprinkle a little gunpowder on his oatmeal every morning. The grandson did this and lived to be 93. When he died, he left 14 children, 28 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren, and a 15-foot hole in the ceiling of the funeral home. (1) So, I'm not going to suggest that you sprinkle a little gunpowder on your ...

2259. What the Heck Is Sin?

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

In a church-related college, a philosophy professor was giving a lecture on some of the traditional Christian doctrines. After he had concluded, he asked if there were any questions. One student lifted her hand and said, “I have a question. You have talked a lot about sin in your lecture. What I would like to know is: what the heck is sin?” I. SIN IS NOT A VERY POPULAR WORD THESE DAYS. Awhile back psychiatrist Karl Menninger wrote a book titled Whatever Became of Sin? bemoaning the fact that people don’t ...

2260. The Lord Has Need

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

Our Scripture lesson sounds more appropriate for Palm Sunday than for the Sunday before Christmas, doesn’t it? But I am fascinated by the story, because it proclaims a truth: that the God of the Christian faith is a God who has need. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, His parents had to borrow a shepherd’s cave because there was no room at the inn. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem in triumph on that first Palm Sunday, He borrowed a donkey. Both of these ideas came together for me in a poem which I came across ...

2261. Equipping the Whole People of God: Penultimate Questions

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Some of you have known me long enough to know that one of my favorite theologians is Charles Schultz, the artist who gave us the wonderful Peanuts cartoons. In one of my favorite cartoons, Lucy comes storming into the room and demands that Linus change TV channels and then threatens him with her fist if he doesn’t. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus. “These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they are nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a ...

2262. Jesus' Most Perplexing Parable

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

In the scripture lesson for today Jesus tells a perplexing parable about a thoroughly dishonest employee who was praised for his dishonesty. In this story Jesus not only seems comfortable suggesting that it is acceptable to compromise with moral failings, but our Lord appears to commend his disciples to "go and do likewise." For centuries, preachers, commentators, and scholars have struggled to make sense of this outrageous tale. Let me give some context. The fifteenth chapter of Luke opens by telling us ...

2263. The Day Life Increased

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The Antiques Roadshow has become one of my favorite television shows. If you haven't seen it, you should know that it is simply a group of appraisers who travel around the country, rent out convention centers and civic auditoriums, and people by the thousands bring in some object they have found in their house, or at a swap meet, for appraisal. Someone will bring in an old clock, a watch, a vase, or a painting, almost anything. The conversation between the appraiser and the owner of the object is recorded ...

2264. Building Our Foundation on God

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

"I'd sell my soul to play for the Washington Senators." Joe Hardy, the protagonist in the popular Broadway musical, Damn Yankees, says these words in a fit of frustration. Joe is what we call today an average middle-aged couch potato. He sits in front of his television and watches baseball and most of the time his beloved team, the Senators, are defeated by "those damn New York Yankees." Joe always wanted to play ball but things just did not work out that way. Marriage, children, and work occupied the life ...

2265. Can You Hear Me Now?

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Isn't it amazing how great your voice sounds in the shower? Whether you're singing arias, hip-hop, rapping, or yodeling, it all resonates with power and pizzazz inside the shower stall. The problem is - for most of us, the problem is - our voices have a distinctly diminished quality outside the confines of the bathroom. Formerly full tones fall flat. We waiver off-key. A crooning vibrato becomes a creaky quiver. Without the echoing cocoon of the shower and the forgiving background choir of water, the real ...

2266. Attics, Basements, Closets

Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

[An inventory of things accumulating in one of your closets or a drawer stuffed with all sorts of interesting items . . . these visuals would greatly enhance your preaching of this sermon.] Grace to you and peace, sisters and brothers. From the one who is . . . the one who was . . . and the one who is to come. Good morning, saints. [Wait for a good morning.] Good morning, sinners. [Wait for a LOUDER good morning.] We're all here. And all we are is here. And I'm delighted YOU'RE here. Icons are not having ...

2267. Cha-cha-cha Christians: The Dance that Advances

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Theme: You were made to dance on the divine dance floor. Can you hear the divine music? This sermon is a call for Cha-Cha-Cha Christians. Exegesis On this Transfiguration Sunday the gospel lesson (Matthew 17:1-9) describes the event itself—-the mountaintop, the cloud, the disciples as witnesses, the presence of the prophets, the heavenly voice. The epistle text, however, demonstrates how the transfiguration event was understood and used by the first generation of Christian churches. The epistle of 2 Peter ...

2268. Rise Above It

John 21:15-19

Sermon

James W. Moore

Let me begin with three quick stories. See if you can find the thread that links them together. First… Have you heard about the couple who had been married for over sixty years? As they approached yet another anniversary… they became nostalgic and reflective about their life together. The husband said: “I have always wanted to ask you something. From the night we married, you have always had a box in your closet. I have never looked in it. It’s your private property, but I have always wondered what is in ...

2269. Breathe on Me, Breath of God

Acts 2:1-4

Sermon

James W. Moore

Let me begin with three quick stories. See if you can find the common thread that runs through them. The First Story is about a woman who lives in Texas. She is a motivational speaker who is often asked to give the key-note address at conventions and convocations. Recently she returned home after speaking five nights in a row. Her husband said: “Honey, I know you must be really tired. Why don’t you “sleep in” in the morning?” That sounded good to her, so she did stay in bed longer than usual. When she ...

2270. What More Can He Give?

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

James McCormick

For 2000 years, the vitality of the Christian Church has been determined by what we have done with Jesus. When Jesus has been the center of our attention and we have sought to follow him as faithful disciples, then the Church has been strong. But when we have misplaced him amidst the clutter of our bureaucracy, or relegated him to a marginal place in our theology, then we have been weak and impotent. It’s always been true: As goes our relationship with Jesus, so goes the Church! The earliest Christian ...

2271. If I Only Had One Wish

2 Chronicles 1:1-12

Sermon

James Merritt

We have all thrilled to the story of "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" in The Arabian Knights. As you remember, Aladdin finds a magic lamp that, when rubbed, produces a genie who has the power to grant his every wish. We have all imagined finding such a lamp and making certain wishes. So let me ask you a fun question: If you found such a lamp, and you could have one wish, what would you wish for? A humorous story I read illustrates that this requires a great deal of thought. There were three men marooned on a ...

2272. Don't Get Too Big For Your Spiritual Britches

Judges 16:20

Sermon

James Merritt

He is undoubtedly one of the most amazing human beings I have ever seen in my life. His name is Niam Suleymanoglu. He stands 4 ft. 11 in. tall, weighs all of 141 pounds. You may not recognize him by his real name, but you may recognize him by his nickname. This hero of Turkey has been given the nickname "Pocket Hercules." He did something in the ‘96 Atlanta Olympics no one in Olympic history had ever done. For the third consecutive Olympics he won the gold medal in weight lifting. He won his division by ...

2273. Science and the Bible

John 17:17, 1 Timothy 3:16

Sermon

James Merritt

Many of you saw the blockbuster movie Independence Day.1 If you are a little bit older, you may have felt like you had seen the film before, and essentially you had because it was a remake of the 1953 science fiction classic War of the Worlds, but it had one very great difference. While both versions feature aliens invading Earth, in the 1953 movie scientists came up with a weapon that is eventually destroyed. The population, in great panic, is forced to turn to God, and churches are jammed with people ...

2274. It Ain't Over Til It's Over

Matthew 5:31-32

Sermon

James Merritt

If you have any reason to wonder why this message is important, maybe this letter will show you better than I could tell you. About four years ago I got a letter from a little girl in Macon, Georgia. Here's what she wrote me: Dear Dr. Merritt, Hello! I was just wondering can you help me? My Mother wants to move to Sweden. I am supposed to go, but I don't trust her. She says I'll come back. I don't know. My Daddy lives here, Georgia, USA. He's American. He is not going. What should I do? If I say Sweden, my ...

2275. No Fear

Psalm 23:4

Sermon

James Merritt

Fear—we all know what it is. It is one of the most debilitating emotions known to the human race. As a matter of fact, it is fascinating to see just what it is that people fear most. Here are the three greatest fears people have in America: Fear number one: Going to a party where they will be surrounded by strangers. Fear number two: Having to speak before a crowd. Fear number three: Being asked a personal question in public.1 Fear is unbelievably powerful. It penetrates the heart, it poisons the spirit, ...

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