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 2376 to 2400 of 3082 results

2376. A Trick Resurrection

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Richard Hasler

In Louisiana, a woman lies buried beneath a grove of 150-year-old oak trees in the cemetery of an Episcopal Church. Only one word is carved on her tombstone: “Waiting.” This person who died may be waiting for the resurrection of the dead, but the Sadducees who raised this question in the conversation with Jesus certainly did not believe in the resurrection. They were only trying to use a trick question about the resurrection to force Jesus into an impossible reply. In order to understand the Sadducees’ ...

2377. Trusting God When You've Been Hurt

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Have you ever wished you could get back at someone who has treated you unjustly? You just want them to experience, if only for a moment, the frustration or pain that they have inflicted on you. Revenge is never a good idea, is it? But sometimes it’s awfully satisfying. A few years ago, a man named Mark Bao had his laptop stolen. Fortunately, Bao had a software program on his laptop that allowed him to access it remotely. To his surprise, he discovered that the thief had used the laptop to record a video of ...

2378. No Other Gods

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Have you ever thrown something away and later regretted it? I read a news report recently about a grand piano that was going up for auction. This piano once belonged to John Lennon, the lead singer and songwriter for the Beatles. Before his death, he gave it to a friend. The friend loaned the piano to a local school. Someone at the school—who obviously didn’t know the piano’s famous first owner—sold it off with a bunch of old pianos for a grand total of $3,000. Fortunately, someone realized the piano’s ...

2379. I Love You — If You Know What I Mean

1 John 3:16-24

Sermon

John B. Jamison

The young couple sat together and they gazed into each other’s eyes. One leaned toward the other, but the other hesitated and leaned away. “But, I love you,” the first spoke, “C’mon, it’s okay; you know I love you.” The parent looked into the child’s eyes and said, “You understand that I did that because I love you?” The child held their swollen cheek and tried to nod. “And because I love you so much, it is my responsibility to teach you the difference between right and wrong.” The child tried to nod again ...

2380. Body

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

In 2:14–4:6, the first step in his defense of the legitimacy of his apostolic claim, Paul repeatedly refers to heavenly realities he has known as an apostle: He has entered the heavenly throne room of God; he speaks in the presence of Christ; and he has seen the glory of God in the face of Christ (cf. 2:14, 17; 4:6). The emphasis in the previous section has thus been on the glory of Paul’s apostolic ministry. The problem is that Paul’s body does not manifest the glory of God in a tangible way. According to ...

2381. Toil is Meaningless

Ecclesiastes 2:17-26

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

Qohelet’s Experiment: Qohelet, using the implied persona of Solomon, undertakes to explore “all that is done” (1:13). “All” includes gaining wisdom, amassing possessions, building monuments, and engaging in celebrations. Solomon is an effective choice as speaker: he is the one character in Israelite tradition who can take wisdom, wealth, and extravagance to their extremes. This section records an experiment: a project that involves engaging in particular behaviors, recording the results, and analyzing them ...

2382. Belonging at the Table

John 6:51-58

Sermon

David Coffin

Have you ever had a “bad communion experience in church?” I sure did, when I was told that my employer was no longer able to pay me and I needed to seek a position elsewhere. I was broken. This was also my source of medical insurance and housing provisions. Being a long time Christian of faith, I attended a Saturday night worship service at a local church. They were to serve Holy Communion that evening. I asked the clergyman if I could take communion. Once I told him my denomination, he told me he would ...

2383. Why We Light the Candles

Luke 2:1-20 · Isaiah 9:2, 6

Sermon

Will Willimon

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…" Never does this glorious Chapel look more beautiful than on this great night of nights. Few of us worship in the evening anymore, so the Chapel, aglow with candlelight, is a strange, beautiful, wondrous setting. We worship here in the evening every night during Holy Week. But we don't light candles then. Why, on this night, does it seem normal and natural to fill this great room with candles? In a Christmas sermon, the great theologian, Rudolf ...

2384. God Is Like...a Parent

Hosea 11:1-4 · Luke 15:1-32

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

What is God like? We’ve been exploring that question, each time with a different image for an answer. So far, we’ve thought about how God is like the words “I Am,” how God is like a potter and how God is like bread. Today we turn to an image that is probably more familiar than any other for most Christians ― God as parent. The religion of the Hebrews was not the first to regard God as father. Do you remember your Greek mythology, where Zeus was the father of the gods? And though we have no written records ...

2385. God Is Like...Fire

Malachi 3:1-4 · Luke 3:1-6, 9,16-17

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

2386. Investing Our Inheritance

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

A friend once told me of an experience he had as a child. When he was eight years old he went with his family to visit an uncle who lived on a farm. He always looked forward to these visits because his uncle had horses that he let the children ride. When it was his turn to go for a ride, he rode the horse until he was out of view of the house. Then he slipped to the ground. He wanted to try mounting the horse as he had seen cowboys on television do it. So he got behind the horse and took a running start ...

2387. A Ministry Of Hospitality

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

Richard Patt

Maybe you've heard the humorous story about the pastor who was having difficulty with his assigned parking space on the church parking lot. People parked in his spot whenever they pleased, even though there was a sign that clearly said, "This space reserved." He thought the sign needed to be more clear, so he had a different sign made, which read, "Reserved for Pastor Only." Still people ignored it and parked in his space whenever they felt like it. "Maybe the sign should be more forceful," he thought. So ...

2388. The Crux Of Being A Christian

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Richard Patt

For a moment, call to mind Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. Green pastures. Still waters. A cup overflowing. Oh, yes! There is a serene side of being a Christian. But this Gospel reading in Luke crashes in on our spiritual serenity. The spell of a peaceful religion is shattered. We become startled as we hear Jesus speak these uprooting words. Some believers have admitted to being shocked and puzzled by what Jesus says here. How about you? How do these words strike you? If anyone comes to me and does not ...

2389. God's Passionate Concern

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Richard Patt

2390. Anything But Trivial

Nehemiah 7:73b--8:18

Sermon

Tony Everett

Have you noticed how the Super Bowl becomes the major focus of attention in America during this time of year? The media is full of elaborate analysis of each football team as the championship game approaches. "Up close and personal" anecdotes of players, owners, and fans become major topics of conversation. Hundreds of millions of advertising dollars are invested in one game. Millions of people around the world gather around television sets to watch the game. Inevitably, the Super Bowl is one of the top ...

2391. The Valley Of Judgment

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

Today as we enjoy the comfort of our church service, many people are sitting in jail cells, serving time for various crimes they have committed. This fact shocks us into a kind of stark look at the reality of judgment. Certain actions have certain consequences. That is what this day, Ash Wednesday, tells us about also. Actions have consequences. You see, we do not like the word judgment. We say, "We live by grace." Yes, this is true. Equally true, however, is that even grace is tempered by judgment, ...

2392. Judgment Day

Mark 13:1-31

Drama

Steven E. Albertin

Characters: Man and Woman Scene: The entrance to eternity. (A man sits at a desk, papers before him. Woman enters. She goes to the man and stands quietly. The man looks up.) Man: Heaven on your right -- hell on your left. Woman: (Looking at the doors, in awe) You mean that door leads to heaven ... and that one to hell? Man: That is correct. Please don't take too long. There are others waiting. Woman: But ... what do I do? Man: You go through one of them. Woman: You mean I have the choice? Man: That is ...

2393. When God Steps Out Of Shadows

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

William L. Self

Our daughter-in-law designs stage sets for the German theatre. I had always taken this sort of thing for granted until she came into our family. Through Birgit, I was exposed to the subtleties of mood and nuance, of color and properties, of fabric and dimension, and how it all blends with the writer and director to bring the audience to a special point. After seeing one production of a deeply moving play, the writer and director came from the wings to interact with the audience. Their purpose was to ...

2394. A New Name

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

What names did people call you as you were growing up? What nicknames did your parents or grandparents saddle you with? I hope most of the names were endearing. But were others nasty or hurtful? Were you given a nickname because of how you looked or how you talked? Because of where you lived or what you wore? Did anyone ever give you a name because they felt they knew what your future would hold? If so, did that spur you on in your destiny or did it hold you back and discourage you? Did they nickname you ...

2395. What Are You Looking At?

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

We are living in the days of the apostles again. We are the early Church all over again -- or, more precisely, we live in a similar spiritual environment in which the Church first grew. What do I mean? I don't say this because of miracles and prophecies being fulfilled in the same way they were back then. Nor because sin is so prevalent and accepted, even as it was in the Roman Empire. Nor do I say it because we, like the 5,000 plus who grew to millions and millions, are waiting eagerly and expecting Jesus ...

2396. To Be Continued

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

Here is a remarkable story from World War II. From the island of Guam one of our mighty bombers took off for Kokura, Japan, with a deadly cargo. The sleek B-29 turned and circled above the cloud that covered the target for half an hour, then three-quarters of an hour, then 55 minutes, until the gas supply reached the danger point. It seemed a shame to be right over the primary target and then have to pass it up, but there was no choice. With one more look back, the crew headed for the secondary target. ...

2397. Too Good To Be True

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

Jim was 16 years old. He'd only been driving for six months, but already his parents had paid the fines for two tickets that Jim had received for speeding. On the day that Jim's parents received a notice from their insurance company telling them that the cost of their automobile policy had been increased, they told Jim that they needed to talk. After supper, Jim and his parents sat at the kitchen table. It was a serious gathering. His mother began, "We seem to have a problem here. We know you want to be ...

2398. People With A Mission

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Gerald Whetstone

"What I have here is really going to turn things around in this country," he said. "Maybe even the world." Actually, he didn't have very much to say. He just kept eating, trying not to seem famished, and all the while never letting a bulging, tattered briefcase off his lap. It wasn't the Sunday noon dinner I had pleasantly anticipated. But there had been a knock on the front door just after noon. Though I'd long before taken down the brass plaque identifying my home as the Lutheran parsonage, I had a ...

2399. Week Three Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Monday Week Three2 Kings 5:1-15Luke 4:24-30 Expectations -- What Should They Be? Expectations are one of the unavoidable realities of life. Although expectations will differ from person to person and from situation to situation, everyone has certain expectations. This is true in how we view events, material things, specific situations, and especially people. If we are honest, most of the time our expectations are high, especially when it comes to results desired and the usefulness and/or effectiveness of ...

2400. Recalling, Remembering, And Rejoicing

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

For all of his charisma as a leader, his skills as a diplomat, his savvy as a politician, Moses was not the sort for whom making speeches ever came easily. Rhetoric simply wasn't included on his resume, public speaking never being one of his fortes. And of course, back at Sinai before this improbable pilgrimage began, he had admitted as much to Yahweh: "O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue" ( ...

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