Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: humiliation, mortification, chagrin, ignominy, loss of face, shamefacedness, embarrassment, indignity, abashment, discomfort, discomfiture, discomposure, guilt, remorse, contrition, compunction, disgrace, dishonour, discredit, degradation, disrepute, ill-repute, infamy, scandal, odium, opprobrium, obloquy, condemnation, contempt, pity, misfortune, crying shame, cause for regret, source of regret, sad thing, unfortunate thing, discredit to, disgrace to, stain on, blemish on, blot on, blot on the escutcheon of, slur on, reproach to, bad reflection on, bring into disrepute, degrade, debase, defame, stigmatize, taint, sully, tarnish, besmirch, stain, blacken, drag through the mud/mire, give a bad name to, put in a bad light, humiliate, mortify, make someone feel ashamed, embarrass, abash, chasten, humble, put someone in their place, take down a peg or two, cut down to size, show up

Antonyms: honor, pride, respect, glory, praise, dignity, honor, esteem, glorification, laud, compliment, regard, credit, elevate, acclaim, pleasure, favor, kudos, recognition, flatter, admiration, greatness, happiness, self-confidence, reverence

Showing 1 to 25 of 195 results

1. Comfort for the Contrite

Isaiah 57:14-21

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... also with those who are crushed and humbled in spirit.” The description of these people as “crushed” is the description of Yahweh’s servant in 53:5, 10, and this implies a basis for the extraordinary statement that Yahweh is making. NIV’s contrite obscures the point: the word means the people are objectively crushed, whether or not they have therefore come to feel penitent. One might have thought that Yahweh would be interested in conversation only with people who were equals, with other people of ...

2. “Create in Me a Pure Heart, O God, and Renew a Steadfast Spirit within Me”

Psalm 51:1-19

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... 30), is obsessed by his sinful condition (51:3; Luke 15:17), and is aware that his sin is basically against God (51:4a; Luke 15:18–19). In both instances God is justified in the verdict (51:4b; Luke 15:19), and God is responsive to a broken and contrite heart (51:17; Luke 15:21–24). The story of the prodigal is not designed to duplicate the story of Psalm 51, but it is a match for its spiritual character. This psalm, as well as the parable of the prodigal, sums up the teaching of Scripture about God’s ...

3. At The Manger By Invitation

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . Has he become your personal Savior yet? The shepherds remind us that Jesus hangs out with the least, the lost, and the marginalized. Do we have any relationships with such persons? The shepherds brought nothing to the manger of Bethlehem except a humble and contrite hearts and a glimmer of faith. That's all that Jesus requires of us. The Shepherds told everybody the good news about the Christ-child. Have you told anybody lately? Recently I ran across a personal testimony by a lady named Mary Ann Bird ...

4. In Defense Of Ceremony

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... rising sun, anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit of God, and given new robes as symbols of the new life." Just a ceremony? Baptism is much more than that. It signifies all that God has done for us in Jesus Christ. It is an act of community, of contrition, and of commitment. It is the first outward expression of new life in Christ Jesus. It is at the heart of every Christian's walk with God. And it is available to all who confess their faith in Jesus Christ today. 1. Frank S. Mead, TARBELL'S TEACHER'S ...

5. The Penitential Psalm

Psalm 51:1-19

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... the so-called fellowship offering of Lev. 3 and 7:11–21) or burnt offerings (Hb. ʿôlâ, the so-called burnt offering of Lev. 1; 6:8–13). Rather, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. As noted above, this replacement of ritual sacrifice with a contrite spirit is also found in Isaiah 66:1–3. This sentiment reflects a long-standing abuse of ritual sacrifice by the people’s presumption regarding the size and needs of their God (Mic. 6:6–7; Isa. 66:1–2; cf. Ps. 50:8–13) and their disregard ...

6. Apples, Onions, and Cheese

Mark 7:1-23, Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... than the prophet Isaiah, “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” For “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart. O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51) In Mark, Matthew, and Luke, we see Jesus having it out with some of the Pharisees from Jerusalem. The topic is ...

7. The Keys To Happiness -- Purity Of Heart

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Alex Gondola

... I shall be whiter than snow ... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me ... a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (RSV) If you want to know what "purity of heart" is, read Psalm 51! One of the ironies of ... our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, RSV). Or the words of King David: "A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Psalm 51, v. 17b, RSV). Hear and believe. Accept God's forgiveness, freely offered at ...

8. Sixth Sunday After the Epiphany

Sermon

Russell F. Anderson

... to the son the Moslems killed, take him into the home as your son, and raise him as a Moslem." Our Lord taught that if we would worship the Lord, we must first make peace with our enemies. Reconciliation involves three things: contrition, confession, and satisfaction (to attempt to right the situation). Most of us stop after the first or, possibly, the second part of the act of reconciliation. In order for spiritual harmony to be completely restored, the peace making process must be completed. Norman ...

9. Proper 6

Galatians 2:11-21, 1 Kings 19:1-8, 2 Samuel 12:1-31, 2 Samuel 11:1-27, Psalm 32:1-11, Luke 7:36-50

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... a person for his/her sins is a Godly thing to do, isn't it? Doesn't the cross of Christ tell us that? 2. Jesus had no difficulty in forgiving the woman of the streets - a prostitute - nor anyone else who was aware of his/her own sins, contrite, and sought pardon and remission of them. But we do, don't we? Like the Pharisee who watched the woman pour precious ointment over Jesus' feet, wash them with her tears and dry them with her hair. God even forgave Saul/Paul for persecuting the church. Would we? 3 ...

10. Listening or Hearing?

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some fell ... into soil and grew, and yielded a hundred-fold." The parable does not say two-fold, six-fold, or eight-fold, but one hundred-fold! This is how God blesses the "broken and contrite heart" (Psalm 51:17). (And I believe we can safely say "always blesses," because for anyone who truly comes expecting to receive a spiritual blessing of God, he will be considerably more than overwhelmed - one hundred-fold is no exaggeration.) How much more overwhelming can ...

11. The Grace of Disillusionment

Matthew 26:69-75

Sermon

Robert Bachelder

... collectors had many ways to cheat the public and made a lot of money doing it. Respectable people despised them. No wonder the man does not dare to lift his eye to heaven. He is bitterly aware of his distance from God and can only beat his breast in contrition. He and his family are in a hopeless situation. To repent, he will need not only to quit his way of life, but also to restore his dishonest gains with an added fifth in damages. He does not even know all those with whom he has had dealings! Even ...

12. Overcoming Self

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... our iniquities are taken away forever. Nothing remains undone, nothing necessary for our salvation unfulfilled, not even the most insignificant part still to be accomplished. Judas could have been pardoned and restored, had his remorse given way to a true contrition! And if Jesus would have forgiven even his betrayer (had that desperate disciple sought forgiveness in faith), we too should believe that the Savior has pardon, love and peace for us also! No sin could possibly be worse than Judas’ treachery ...

13. Saints With Crooked Haloes

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... your heart as well as ears. No matter how often you have failed, no matter how dismal may be your record, no matter how limited may be your skills, God wants to claim you as his own and commission you in his service. If you have a humble and contrite heart, even a little bit of faith, and if you are available for God, you can be one of his saints with crooked haloes. Remember, God does not work in conventional ways. Listen to St. Paul talking to his Corinthian Christians: "Not many of you were wise by human ...

14. The Prodigal Daughter

Drama

Maxine Dudley

... your sorrow. I long to embrace you and turn your darkness to light. I want you to return to me. I love you. (Silence for one minute) (Narrator no. 1 leads participants in a prayer of forgiveness or prayerfully reciting an act of contrition. Upon completion of the prayer or act of contrition, the Narrator continues.) Narrator no. 1: Jesus leads us to the Father’s house of love, to your house of love. Now come forward and place your piece of heart on the altar. Then pick up a whole heart and return to your ...

15. With All Your Heart

Joel 2:12-17, Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God wants a heart that confesses sin because God likes an honest heart, a contrite heart, a heart that is willing to reveal its imperfections and afflictions. Third, we must return to God with a heart of repentance ... . Repenting means acknowledging, confessing, and turning away from sin. Repentance is the act of contrition carried out to cancel sin’s transgression. To say we have sinned is one thing. To turn away from sinful ways is ...

16. A Call To Repentance

Joel 2:12-17

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

... Eternal God, who has created us and who and hates nothing that He has made, and forgives the sins of those who are penitent: create in us new and contrite hearts that acknowledging our sins we may receive your forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Everlasting God, our Father, we bow before you in contrition acknowledging our many sins which we have committed in thought, word, and deed. We are indeed sorry for these our misdoings and it grieves us to remember them. Have ...

17. Turn Right with the Right Turn

Luke 13:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... I am guilty, and I deserve to be here." The King then gave an order to the guard and said, "Release this guilty man, I do not want this man corrupting all these other innocent people." Let me tell you something else about repentance. It involves contrition over sin, but it's more than contrition. You can be sorry for your sin, and still die in your sin. Now if you are truly repentant, you will be sorry. But you can be sorry without being repentant. 2 Cor. 7:9-10 says, "Now I rejoice, not that you were made ...

18. Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... reader is given no indication whether this first choice was based on pride and obstinacy, or anger or a still-strong desire to be away from the home and family in which he had grown up. And while the son's "confession" in verses 18-19 sounds contrite and genuine enough, a careful examination of the thought process that led him to this confession reveals only one clear motivating force: hunger (v.17). The son decides to return home and throw himself on his father's mercy only because he feels he is starving ...

19. Proper 13

Matthew 14:13-21, Psalm 17:1-15, Genesis 32:22-32, Romans 9:1-29

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... and physical need of multitudes to the glory of your name. Amen PRAYER OF INTERCESSION AND COMMEMORATION High and holy One who inhabits eternity, in Christ you have come down to those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite. Rejuvenate your people by the grace of the Holy Spirit so that your church may manifest more dearly your living presence with us. Refresh your people who are overworked and weary. Redirect any congregations ...

20. The Place beyond Revenge

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... . The perpetrators of 9/11 had executed a flawless, surgical and liturgical blow at the central nervous system of our nation. Our response ... is the problem ... Before 9/11 we worshiped with less insight, in more insular comfort zones. Now every worship service begins with soul-searching and contrition ... we pray better and more deeply.2 Our response ... is the problem ... Before 9/11 we worshiped with less insight, in more insular comfort zones. Now every worship service begins with soul-searching and ...

21. A Call for Repentance - Ash Wednesday

Joel 2:12-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... the portico and the altar. Let them say, ‘Spare your people, Lord. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?’” This was a call for Israel to be truly penitent and contrite before the Lord in order to gain God’s favor. It was a common practice for the people to tear their clothes and go into fasting and prayer with sackcloth and ashes to show penitence for sin but Joel contends this is not enough. True ...

22. The Guilt Offering

Leviticus 5:14--6:7

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... been done and “act” to change one’s behavior. The ritual of sacrifice was not enough. David writes in Psalm 51:16–17, “You do not delight in sacrifice. . . . My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” “A broken and contrite heart,” or remorse, is a key element that allows an atoning sacrifice to be effective in removing guilt. If you are to be forgiven, you must first feel the moral guilt of your offense. 2. True repentance renounces sin ...

23. Judgment and Restoration

Isaiah 66:1-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... prophecy of Isaiah concludes with God’s concern for true worship (66:1–6). God desires to have fellowship with those who show sensitivity to his word by acts of obedience, love, and justice. The love of God is evident in those who are humble and contrite in spirit. They may suffer in an unjust world, but he promises to vindicate them. On the other hand, he will avenge himself on those within the community of faith who worship in their own ways, not having a heartfelt love for God and for their brothers ...

24. Are You in the Right Place?

Matthew 6:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... others to be seen by them . . .” In other words, if you have come to this service tonight to make a show of your piety, you do not belong here. The reason you are here is all important. Is it a show to impress others or is it an act of contrition? Notice what Jesus says in the rest of this passage: “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full ...

25. Mending Fences

Luke 16:1-15, Luke 16:16-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Storing Up Treasure in Heaven from Father to Son (Tobit 4) Love Your Neighbor with the Entirety of Your Means (Sirach 29) The Book of Jubilees Psalm 15: Who May Live in the Lord’s Tents? Psalm 40: The Lord’s Mercy to the Contrite Psalm 51: David’s Psalm of Contrition Psalm 118: The Lord Will Save The Story of Jonah and God’s Forgiveness of Ninevah’s Greed Joshua Witnesses God’s People’s Vow to Serve God as Master at Shechem (Joshua 24) James’ Warning to Those Who Have Made Riches Their God ...

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