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 2426 to 2450 of 4947 results

2426. 1 Peter 1:17-23

1 Peter 1:17-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... that indelible mark of a Christian "genuine mutual love." But even this remarkable ability is not enough for 1 Peter. He urges his readers to do even more to "love one another deeply from the heart" (v.22). 1 Peter's advice would surely wipe away any sense of being an outcast or being in exile these Asia Minor Christians would experience acceptance and belonging. The final verse for this week returns to the "new birth" image 1 Peter initially uses in 1:3. But this time he adapts this image and goes back ...

2427. Matthew 10:40-42

Matthew 10:40-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... offering more extended instruction of God's message than the itinerant prophet. (See David Hill, "Dikaioi as a Quasi-technical Term," in New Testament Studies (1965), 11:296-302. Taken together in Matthew's text, these two functions make good sense. Whoever welcomed a prophet would hear the word proclaimed, while the one who welcomed the righteous one/teacher would be taught the word at length. The rewards obtained for this welcoming attitude are extraordinary. Simply by offering hospitality, the welcomer ...

2428. Philippians 3:17-4:1

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The sense of closeness Paul feels with the Christians in Philippi reveals itself in the familiarity and straightforwardness of this letter. There are Pauline ... also has no problem using his own life as a template for the Philippians' view of correct behavior. Paul urges the Philippians to "join in imitating me," not out of a sense of egotistical pride, but as a teacher urges his students to take his lessons to heart. Paul may also be seen as exercising some apostolic authority here _ urging the Philippians ...

2429. Luke 12:49-56

Luke 12:49-56

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and his message. Private dialogue with his disciples now ends, and Jesus' next words are addressed to the crowds that follow them. His tone is sharp, even sarcastic, suggesting that this particular crowd may not have been a friendly one. Jesus points to the common sense and close observation that allows any man or woman to discern what type of weather may be expected. They know that certain signs on earth and in the skies indicate what kind of weather approaches. A cloud from the west meant that the weather ...

2430. Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the real "Lord's Prayer" - the startling, breath-taking prayer Jesus prayed. What we call "The Lord's Prayer" is really "The Disciples' Prayer." In John 17:11 Jesus prays that those who believe may be one. Not one in some metaphorical sense. Not one in some ecclesiastical sense. But "perfectly one." "Perfectly one" in the same oneness that unites God the Father and God the Son. "Perfectly one" in the same oneness that brings about on earth what happens in heaven, what goes on in God. It is characteristic of ...

2431. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... as they accept the inverted rules of importance and belonging that Jesus has revealed. Relating the Texts The Epistle text for this week is actually two distinct units with their own agendas. But James' words continue to stress the surprising nature of a Christian sense of self and community. The first pericope finds James, who always sides with the poor and "unimportant," focusing on the rising merchant class of his day. It is important to note that the merchants James cites are in no way unique or unusual ...

2432. Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Ezra reads from, a detail often seen as an early foreshadowing of the synagogue tradition of reading the Torah from a raised pulpit. The picture the writer creates is of a unified body worshiping God, first in joy, then with a sense of despair at their own shortcomings, but moved by a sense of awe at all times. It is impossible to discern exactly what portion of the Pentateuch Ezra read (though it seems clear that it was excerpts, not the entirety of the Torah). But the author takes pains to emphasize that ...

2433. Acts 9:1-20

Acts 9:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... into the water in order to swim to the shore and be the first to greet Jesus. Since he was stripped for fishing, Simon Peter either "puts on" some garments - or as others read it, "tucks up" his outer garment in order to cover himself - out of sense of decency and respect for Jesus. But this interpretation leaves several problems. First, after recording Peter's leap into the water, the text then abandons him there. The focus shifts to the boat filled with the other disciples and the load of fish and then to ...

2434. Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-19

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... as an example of unswerving faithfulness. While she never rejected the promise, she certainly did not respond to the news with the kind of grateful solemnity the author found so ennobling in others. Positing Abraham as the subject in verse 11 also makes sense in light of the conclusion drawn in verse 12. This was a patriarchal society; lineage was commonly established from a father's genealogy. It is doubtful, therefore, that when this writer praises the miracle of a plethora of descendants born out of a ...

2435. Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . Without the flexibility of familial bonds to bind this story together, we impose an entirely different set of expectations and responses on the characters in the dishonest steward parable. Responses we would find comforting at home we find threatening to our sense of order in the workplace. Jesus begins this parable by focusing on an economic reality: The steward's master is described as a "rich man." Having received reports of the steward's shady dealings, the master confronts his "business manager" with ...

2436. 2 Timothy 1:1-14

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 's case this parentage is supportive and beneficial. While we know Timothy's father was a Greek (Acts 16:1), his grandfather's lineage is unclear. Since in Judaism any child who is born of a Jewish mother is considered Jewish, it makes sense for Paul to single out Timothy's clearly Jewish/Christian ancestors. Paul also highlights the crucial role of generational transmission of the faith, using Timothy's family as an excellent example. Perhaps Paul is also subtly emphasizing a kind of legitimizing authority ...

2437. Ephesians 5:15-20

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of Christ are "unwise" or "foolish." What the NRSV translates in verse 16 as "making the most of the time" is rendered more literally "to buy out" or "to redeem" time. Coupled with the claim that "the days are evil," this text conveys a sense of unmistakable urgency. The "foolishness" the Ephesians are cautioned against appears to be related to vain human attempts to gain easy access to the divine. Christians are not to waste time by being lured to accept human advice and human "wisdom" as true indications ...

2438. Luke 4:14-21

Luke 4:14-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... with the power of the Spirit," a "power" most often linked to apostolic witnesses. By mentioning its presence now, Luke affirms Jesus' unquestioned authority to teach, perhaps even alluding to some other tangible sign or sense of power that rested upon Jesus. Others quickly recognized as well a sense of authority about Jesus for Luke declares that "a report about him spread" quickly around his old Galilean home territory. Luke's text indicates that before reaching Nazareth, Jesus was already engaged in the ...

2439. Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)

Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Old Testament and the God whose face is known in the New Testament. Saul had already been singled out as one of the earliest and most zealous of those persecuting the church (see Acts 8:1-3). In later autobiographical notes Paul testifies to his extreme sense of righteousness and his wholehearted love of the Torah-Law he sought to both follow and protect. In fact, it is Saul's precise knowledge of both Jewish and Roman law that makes him such an effective persecutor of the first Christians. Although he is ...

2440. Revelation 7:9-17

Revelation 7:9-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and palm fronds as victory symbols also question the NRSV's more literalistic translation of verse 10's declaration "Salvation belongs to our God." They argue that in addition to suggesting redemption, soteria can also be used to convey a general sense of "victory," or to describe a kind of vindicating moment (compare with Philippians 1:19). In this hymnic scene of triumph such an interpretation is certainly possible. After the white-robed believers joyously proclaim divine victory, this hymn reintroduces a ...

2441. Luke 12:13-21

Luke 12:13-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... v.15). Jesus follows this warning with the parable of the rich man whose wealth was so vast, he continually needed to build in order to warehouse his treasures. There is no indication that the rich man of this parable was an evil man in any other sense. His land produced good harvests; he no doubt worked hard to make it happen. His riches are not ill-gotten gain. He is an honest man, perhaps highly respected in his community. There is no mention that anyone thinks badly of him. Even his greed seems harmless ...

2442. A Powerful Sacrament

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... and to Whom we belong. It is said that when Martin Luther was despairing, and seemed to be overwhelmed with the challenges he faced, he would write with his finger in Latin in the dust on a table, “Baptizatus sum,” or “I have been baptized.” Does this make sense to you? This is a radical understanding of what it means to be baptized. And that’s the point. Baptism ought to separate us from our old life. It ought to separate us from the decay in our society. An Anglican priest named Kathryn tells of ...

2443. The Last Parable

Mark 12:1-12

Sermon

James McCormick

... and living among his followers. He had been preparing the disciples for the time when he would no longer be with them. He sensed that they were ready, so he went to Jerusalem to confront those who opposed him. On Sunday he made his entry into Jerusalem – ... And to all faithful people everywhere, he is the one who holds all of life together. He’s the one who makes it all make sense. He’s the one who makes it all work out. By God’s grace and power, the rejected stone has become the cornerstone! I’ll ...

2444. Philippians 1:21-30

Philippians 1:21-30

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... him living is Christ. The apostle's heavenly communion with the divine has already begun on earth. We know from Paul's other letters how convinced he was that the Parousia was very near. Perhaps, part of that assertion stemmed from the overpowering, super-enabling sense of Christ "here and now" that Paul felt in his own spirit. Certainly, for one who understood living is Christ, there can be little doubt that very shortly all the living will be in Christ's domain. Because of this conviction, Paul can assert ...

2445. Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Furthermore, Joshua continues, there can be a definite downside to swearing service to this jealous God. Faced with disloyalty and disobedience, this God will "turn and do you harm" (v.20), regardless of the good God has done before. It is not out of a sense of full-bellied well-being that the people confess their service to the Lord once again (v.21). Joshua's sharp words have reminded them of the consequences that lie behind their words. Yet Joshua's response is ambiguous it is still not clear whether ...

2446. About Sex

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... a spiritual obligation to fill one another’s sexual needs, not grudgingly but joyfully. This is a gift God has given us. But there is a second thing we need to see. Like all of life, sexuality is to be used with discipline. This makes sense, doesn’t it? Every gift God gave us is to be used responsibly, or else we spoil it. Paul actually begins our text for today writing about food. “Everything is permissible for me,” he writes, but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me ...

2447. God's Workmanship

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... these amazed construction workers didn’t realize was that they were in the presence of God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Here was a man so in touch with the amazing grace of Jesus Christ that he did his good works not out of a sense of blind duty, but as a joyful opportunity to live out the faith that had enveloped his life. His life had become one of nature’s great wonders. A man doing a job no one else wanted, but doing it joyfully to the glory of God. Could you do that ...

2448. He Stands Alone

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

King Duncan

... . “I never knew what things were like,” she said to him, “until YOU taught me how to look at them.” (4) In the same sense, humanity could not know what God was like until Jesus showed us how to look at God. Jesus also taught us how to look at ... cross. Christ died for us. We live for him and for one another. When you understand that, life takes on a new meaning and a new sense of purpose. Christ showed us how to look at God, how to look at life, how to look at one another. Christ gave his life for ...

2449. The Father’s Blessing

Genesis 27:1-40

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... almost a year He was good at business But there was business left to do He never said he loved me Guess he thought I knew How many of us here still yearn to hear the words that will bless us with God’s blessing? Words that will remove the sense that there’s something wrong with us that makes us unworthy to be loved. In ancient times, the father had one blessing to give to his children. It went to the eldest son. It entitled that son to the largest share of the inheritance. When they were younger, Jacob ...

2450. The Gifts of Word and Table

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... of Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion. Their disappointment and grief were mixed with the preposterous claim by some of the women that, while they’d found the tomb empty, angels had told them that Jesus was alive. As they walked and discussed how to make sense of the nonsensical, they were joined by the risen Jesus. “Their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” He asks them what they are talking about. One of the two, Cleopas replies: “Are you the only one who doesn’t know about Jesus of Nazareth ...

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