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 2401 to 2425 of 3082 results

2401. Country Songs and Easter Hymns

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Thomas Long

As the van rolled down the interstate, Kitty Wells' hillbilly alto rattled the radio speakers; "When you're lookin' at me," she belted out, "you're lookin' at country." In the van were ten of us, all seminary seniors, heading away from our rural South Carolina campus toward the big city of Atlanta, and Kitty Wells had it right: If you were looking at us, you were looking at country. It was not that we urbanly-challenged folk actually wanted to go to the city; the faculty was forcing us to do so. Terrified ...

2402. Two-and-a-Half Cheers For Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-2, Matthew 6:5-6, Matthew 6:16

Sermon

Thomas Long

It is difficult to find anyone who has a kind word to say about hypocrites. Nobody likes a hypocrite; no one wants to be around one; the last thing one would want to be called is a hypocrite. Hypocrites are, by definition, deceptive, two-faced and treacherous. If discovered, hypocritical politicians are defeated at the polls, hypocritical friends get dropped and hypocritical preachers lose the trusting ears of their congregations. It may well be that our age is particularly tough on hypocrisy. In some ways ...

2403. Second Sight

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

David Belgum

What was the experience high up on Mount Hermon, which we have come to call the Transfiguration of Jesus? When we modern, technologically-oriented westerners read, we expect to receive objective information that will benefit us and answer questions. We become uncomfortable when what we read raises questions or throws us for a loop. All the symbolism of inspiration is packed into this short story. A bright light represented God's holiness and his blessing on those whom he had called. It is said of Jesus ...

2404. Responding In Anger

Job 7:11-21 · Matthew 21:12-13

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

A 75-year-old man went to his doctor for a physical examination. The doctor went through all the procedures and found everything to be perfect. "It's amazing," the doctor said to the patient. "You have the body of a man 25 years younger. What's your secret?" The patient replied: "Well, when my wife and I were married fifty years ago, we made an agreement. We decided never to fuss or to argue with one another. Whenever we have a difference of opinion that causes friction and we can see a fight coming on, ...

2405. The Christian Journey II: The Mountain

Sermon

John N. Brittain

Psalm 30; Exodus 24:15-18; Mark 9:2-9 Virtually every religion has regarded mountains as sacred places. Mircea Eliade, the great religious scholar, called mountains an axis mundi, a symbolic link between heaven and earth, between the divine and the human. For those of us from the flat lands of the midwest it may not be as obvious as it should be why this is so. There is something about a mountain that lifts one's mind beyond the mundane no matter how you look at it. A mountain on the horizon cannot help ...

2406. Wedding: Beginning A New Climb (for a marriage after divorce)

Ephesians 3:14-21

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

Hear these words of Scripture as they are found in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, chapter 3:14-19 (TEV): For this reason I fall on my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its true name. I ask God from the wealth of his glory to give you power through his Spirit to be strong in your inner selves, and I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts through faith. I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in love, so that you, together with all God's ...

2407. Why Do People Suffer?

Mark 15:33-41

Sermon

David O. Bales

Susan Ingraham was late for worship, but no one could tell she was hurrying -- regular, sharp gait, everything about her seemed shiny and healthy. At 34 Miss Ingraham was startlingly beautiful, especially to twelve year old Chrissy Dillenburger. Chrissy was captivated by her since the day Susan came to worship wearing a plain black dress, black shoes, perfect lipstick and a gold brooch. First thing in the car going home Chrissy said, "Did you see Miss Ingraham? That dress -- and the lipstick was just right ...

2408. Proper 10

Colossians 1:1-14, Amos 7:10-17, Luke 10:25-37

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Amos 7:7-17 Amos was a prophet of the South in the eighth century. He wrote the earliest book in the Old Testament. Although he was from the South (Judah), God called him, ca. 750 B.C., to go to the North (Israel) to preach. He found the people prosperous, religious, but oppressive of the poor. His message was one of doom: death for the king and exile for the people. His preaching was not accepted. The chief priest told him to go home and preach to Judah. Epistle: Colossians 1:1- ...

2409. Proper 19

Luke 15:1-7, Luke 15:8-10, Jeremiah 4:5-31, 1 Timothy 1:12-20

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 For Judah, Jeremiah sees nothing but doom. For Judah there is no future except destruction and death. Everywhere Jeremiah looks he sees desolation of his country. Why is this? The judgment comes from Yahweh because Judah is woefully corrupt. Their sins have brought utter disaster. There is no hope except "I will not make a full end." (v. 27) Lesson 2: 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Christ came to save sinners, even the foremost, Paul. Many scholars think that the pastoral ...

2410. Epiphany 8

Luke 6:37-42

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Note The tree imagery in verses 43-45 of this metaphor-laden conclusion to the "Sermon on the Plain" makes a rather profound point despite its apparent simplicity: a person is not good or bad because he or she does good or bad things; rather, one does good or bad because he or she is good or bad. In other words, the inner disposition precedes and produces the external act, a view shared by Paul in his treatment of sin as a human condition and not just wrongdoing. Liturgical Color Green Suggested ...

2411. Need Help Removing That Roadblock?

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Steve Burt

A middle-aged man lived in a small town. He was single and had lived there all his life. Employment opportunities were limited, so he plucked chickens, a job he'd always hated. He secretly longed to be an artist, a painter. The man prayed something might change to allow his dream of freedom to become realized -- freedom from poverty and freedom to create. He felt as if invisible chains bound the true person he suspected was inside him. One day a lawyer called from a nearby city and said the man was to ...

2412. Salt And Light

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

Mark Radecke

I was on a bit of a tight schedule one day, so on my way from one hospital to another, I stopped off for lunch at a fast food restaurant, whose name I will not mention. After I got my Chicken McNuggets, I went over to do battle with the paper napkin dispenser. [What mean-minded person invented those things, anyway?] While I was engaged in mortal combat with this stainless steel contraption that parts with napkins as willingly as a mother bear parts with her cubs, and with just about the same amount of ...

2413. Lust - To Discipline The Eye And The Heart

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

Jesus and his disciples were in a foreign land, the land of Samaria. It had once been recognized as the birthplace and capital of the Jewish faith. It was in Samaria and at Shechem that God told Abraham that the land would belong to his descendants. But later the Israelites were defeated by the Assyrians, who then settled in the land and mixed with the population. So in Jesus' day the people of Israel viewed the Samaritans as half-breeds and false worshipers. Jesus' parable of the "good Samaritan" was a ...

2414. Room For Questions

Matthew 11:2-11

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

It's interesting how we fix in our minds certain images of people and block other images of the same people. We do that to biblical characters. We remember Peter's denial of Jesus, but forget his powerful preaching recorded in the book of Acts. Or, we remember how women came to Jesus for help from time to time, but forget how Jesus depended on the women for financial support and to announce the news of the resurrection. We remember David's tryst with Bathsheba, but forget his courage and leadership in ...

2415. Epiphany 8

Mt 6:24-34 · 1 Cor 4:1-13 · Is 49:8-18 · Ps 131

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 49:8-18 Through the prophet, God speaks words of consolation to his captive people in Babylon. The frightened and defeated people are beckoned from their hiding places. God promises that he will protect them, heal their wounds, feed them and lead them back to their homeland. The created world joins in the celebration for the redeemed but the downtrodden people find it difficult to receive the good news saying: "The Lord has forsaken me" (v. 14). Epistle: 1 Corinthians 4:1- ...

2416. Pentecost

1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Joel 2:28-32, John 7:25-44, Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13, John 20:19-23

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: The gift of the Holy Spirit, as told by Luke (Acts 2:1-11) and John (the Gospel). The Roman Catholic and Episcopal lectionaries have the Acts passage as the First Lesson, while the Lutheran lectionary has it as the Second Lesson. The 1 Corinthians 12 text has to do with the gifts of the Spirit in the Church and the Lutheran First Lesson (Joel 2:28-29) is the passage referred to by Peter in his Pentecost sermon. COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Acts 2:1-21 (C); Acts 2:1-11 (RC, E) The promised Spirit comes upon ...

2417. Reformation Sunday

Jn 8:31-36 · Rom 3:19-28 · Jer 31:31-34 · Ps 46

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Jeremiah 31:31-34 God will establish a new covenant with his people, not written on parchment or etched in stone, but written on the human heart. God will bestow not only the desire but the power to do his will. This new covenant will be intrinsic rather than external. It will also be inclusive rather than exclusive, not just reserved for the righteous few (v. 34). Lesson 2: Romans 3:19-28 No person will be accounted righteous by keeping the law of God. He who breaks part of it is ...

2418. Turning A Minus Into A Plus

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Harold Warlick

One of the finest minds in our country belongs to a man named Charles Merrill. Charles' father founded a company called Merrill, Lynch, Pierce, a rather successful stock brokerage firm. With part of that vast wealth, Charles Merrill founded the Commonwealth School in Boston. The Commonwealth School has enjoyed a tremendous academic reputation. It has excelled in educating students from diverse backgrounds. On a cold, windy day Charles Merrill and a minister friend were walking to lunch, and he told the ...

2419. Rainbow In The Sky

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

"My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky: So was it when my life began; so it is now ..." So wrote Wordsworth. Now we know why. God gave the rainbow, our text informs us, as a sign of the unfailing presence and love of God who assures that the darkness shall never overcome us. Most of us have known the exhilaration of a sudden burst of sunlight through prevailing darkness, a splendid display of color across the sky, and the promise again fulfilled that beyond all darkness is light and beauty. ...

2420. A Taste Of Life

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

William G. Carter

The workshop was winding up. About 25 pleasant church people had gathered in central Pennsylvania to take part in a workshop on worship. The better part of a Saturday morning had dealt with a variety of topics, such as the order of worship, the role of music, the place of preaching, and whether or not children should come to the Lord's table. A few stomachs were growling for lunch when I asked, "Does anybody have any questions?" Most people smiled and sat in that circle of metal folding chairs. One woman, ...

2421. Can Christians Dance?

Sermon

William G. Carter

Mark 2:23--3:6 (C, RC) Mark 2:23-28 (L) A few years ago, I was asked to serve as the worship leader at a regional church conference for teenagers. The enthusiastic recruiter told me about the wonderful experience I could expect from the gathering. "Every summer," she said, "the conference brings together about a hundred or so young people at a camp that has no swimming pool. We gather during the dog days of August. The conference is so much fun, nobody misses the pool!" My assignment was to preach sermons ...

2422. He Shepherds Us!

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

Andrew Young, former delegate to the United Nations and former mayor of Atlanta, finally published the book he claims he should have written ten years ago. The book, The Way Out of No Way, contains Young's observations about how real change occurs. He notes that changes for the better do not happen simply because we teach people how to work better or harder. Reforms take place when people exert their spirituality to achieve change. In his aristoc_esermonsratic and very intelligent manner, Mr. Young uses ...

2423. The Servant of All's Second Prediction

Mark 9:14-32, Mark 9:33-37

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

The lectionary moves directly from the story on the Mount of Transfiguration (9:1-8) to Jesus' second "passion/resurrection" prediction (9:30-37). In the intervening passages we see the fear and unbelief of the disciples clearly portrayed. Peter, James and John come down from the mountain with Jesus. They have failed to understand what Jesus means by the "rising of the dead" (Mark 9:10). These are precisely the same disciples who were with Jesus when he raised a twelve-year-old girl from death (Mark 5:35- ...

2424. Bread of Another Kind (Bread of Life II)

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

“I am the Bread of Life,” says Jesus. “Do not work for food that spoils ... work for food that lasts for eternal life.” I invite you to consider three questions: To whom were these words spoken? Who spoke them? What do they mean? First, to whom were these words spoken? They were spoken to the people whom Jesus fed the day before, the 5,000 who ate so generously from the little boy’s lunch bag. A quick mental walk through some of the events just prior to this will get us in perspective: One, it was the ...

2425. Path To A New Life

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

The city darkness is very different from the hillside darkness. Out on the hillside, where the shepherds work, the darkness gently settles upon the landscape. It is a quiet dusk that melds into deeper shadows and finally, after so long a stretch of time, becomes the dark in which the stars are the only light. But in the city, the darkness comes as if some giant curtain was suddenly pulled tight, blocking out all illumination. It was in that darkness that Ely slowly made his way home through the maze of ...

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