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 2276 results

1. Praise God For Adversity

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

... God for adversity, we place our adversity into the hands of a loving and caring God who alone has the power to transform evil into good. That does make sense. Experience confirms in us that this is the only answer to adversity that can and will work. To praise God for adversity does not mean that we assume that God is the author of all evil, all suffering, and all disasters. God does not punish us with adversity. God is not a stern-faced tyrant reaping his revenge on his renegade rebels. God is a loving and ...

2. Praising God All the Way Home

Psalm 150:1-6

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... and gloomy side of life, never able to do much of anything but grumble and criticize. It is easy to gain a critical spirit in our lives, but we are not called to be critics, to be negative, or live in doom and gloom. We are called to praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow. Tony Demello tells the story about two taxidermists who stopped before a window in which an owl was on display. Immediately they began to criticize the way it was mounted. Its eyes were not natural. Its wings were not in proportion ...

3. Let Everything That Breathes Praise the Lord

Psalm 150:1-6

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... waters and righteousness as an ever flowing stream.” (Amos 5:21, 23-24) It is a perversion of the Christian Gospel and Christian worship if what we do here on Sunday morning does not impact and shape how we live on Monday and the rest of the week. Our praise of God must be translated into daily life, by loving involvement with God’s people. We could spend a lot of time talking about it and we could talk about that in a lot of different ways - but let me share a poem which I think expresses it as well ...

4. Praise God! Selah!

Luke 1:67-80, Luke 1:57-66, Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:1-4

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... own words. Not to aim our own way. We were created to be reflectors . . . shiny reflectors of God’s glory. And when we reflect God’s goodness and grace, our mouths are opened so that others may see the wonder and power of God! We were created to sing praises to our creator! Jesus says many times….this has happened, so that the glory of God may be revealed! When Jesus heals someone, it is so that the glory of God might be magnified through this sign. When he performs a miracle, it is so that God may be ...

5. Turning Pity-Parties into Praise-Parties

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in Christianity of prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving? Ever wonder why it’s so important to say “thank you” to people? There are certain things you can do to show you weren’t raised by wolves. “Thank you” is one of them. The third rack in Paul’s Praise Magazine is to trust in God’s providence and in the power of God’s promises. His words to those who follow Christ are, “Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me and the God of peace will be ...

6. Summertime Praise

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

... bless God here on Sunday morning in church in our songs, and we bless God on Monday morning at the office with our deeds, because God has so blessed us, so chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven us. Because God has given all of this to us, we ''might live for the praise of his glory'' (1:12). When someone gives you a gift, you say, ''Thanks." Think of our lives as Christians as thanksgiving to God. We are the only song to God that many may ever hear. Make it a good song, a song worth singing, a song with so ...

7. A Concert of Praise

Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name" (Luke 1:48b-49). This was not a statement of pride. Pride is refusing to accept God's gifts or taking credit for what God has done. Humility is accepting the gifts and using them to praise and serve God. What an honor God bestowed upon her, but that honor would lead to pain. The pain came even before her child was born. Small-town people can be mean. Mary would be gossiped about and ridiculed. She would be labeled as a girl with low morals ...

8. Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise

Romans 11:33-36

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen." Paul answered his second unanswerable question by confessing the holiness and greatness of God and his own utter dependence upon him. That is where worship that is full of wonder, love and praise always leads: to awareness of God’s holiness and our dependence. When we truly worship, we become aware of God’s holiness. We recognize that God is complete, that "from him and through him and to him are all things." One of the best loved hymns ...

9. Who Did He Praise?

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... . You never know when somebody who's both shrewd and slightly unethical is going to clean your clock. Jesus knew such people existed. In fact, he told about such a person in one of his parables. And here's what might steam some of us--he had words of praise for this scoundrel. Amazing. Outrageous. Jesus says something good about a sleazeball. Let's see if we can't figure out what's going on here. There was a rich man who had a manager who was cooking the books--lining his own pockets at the rich man's ...

10. Praise and Blame

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... care about us.”[2] We strive to do our best and need not worry about what other people think of us. Only Jesus will judge us. Since ultimately the only person Paul would answer to was Jesus, he was not concerned with what other people thought of him. To Paul praise or blame really did not matter — to him it was all the same. Paul knew in his heart that he was a trustworthy servant. What people thought or did not think of him was of no concern to Paul. “But with me it is a very small thing that I ...

11. Praise the King with a Song of Joy

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... and glory and power for ever and ever!’” What is the song you will be singing this Christmas? Will it be a song of freedom? A song of peace? A song of salvation and new life? Let the joy of the angels inspire you to sing a new song of praise to God for God’s most excellent gift, the gift of Emmanuel, God with us. **Pastor, you could add humor here by reciting the words to a song that gets stuck in your head. 1. CleanLaugh 2. Contributed by Byrl Shaver 3. Doris Shumate in A Foxfire Christmas, edited by ...

12. A Day of Passion, Praise and Prophesying

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... was poured out on ordinary people, men and women from every tribe and nation and tongue for the purpose of accomplishing the work of Jesus Christ all over the world until the day that Jesus returns. It began with a shared passion. It resulted in an outbreak of praise. And it left behind a calling for all of us to prophesy, to tell the truth, to share the awesome grace of a God who promises that “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” 1. “Revealing Map Shows How Long It Takes to ...

13. Sing Praise

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... him." As the eternal Christ, Jesus existed before creation, and he was part of creating all things. He did not begin as the baby born in a manger — he was already present at the creation of heaven and earth. As part of another ancient hymn of praise, Philippians 2:7 says that Jesus "emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness." The great mystery and wonder of the incarnation is that the Lord of heaven and earth through whom all things were created, humbled himself to become a ...

14. The Propriety of Praise

Psalm 84:1-12

Sermon

Will Willimon

... with so much misery in the world? What do you mean celebrating the beauty of your garden when there are those who don't have a square foot to call their own? Do you dare enjoy the company of your friends when so many are lonely? How can you praise God for your food when people go hungry all over the world? The Christian thing to do is to sigh deeply, wring your hands, and wait. The Christian thing to do, the sensitive thing is to be miserable. “Why do your disciples eat and drink?” they asked Jesus ...

15. In Praise of Feeling Guilty

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... a hurt and a help in human community. This seems to be a surprising title - greeted by puzzled smiles when I have mentioned it. Feeling guilty feels so bad, it is something we all want to avoid and/or get rid of; how could there be anything to praise? In addition, it has been out of style generally, in recent years, along with its related words, sin and shame - and this has led to a paradox. A comic strip several months ago says it well: (Cathy is one of my favorites.) Walter: "But, Cathy, my sweet ... This ...

16. In Praise Of Doers

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... , and coming up he clapped his hands and shouted, "Hot dog! Hot dog!" The folks in the congregation roared with laughter. The pastor explained that this man had not been around the church and didn't know about, "Amen! Praise the Lord! or Hallelujah!" His word was "Hot dog!" and he was praising the Lord with the only vocabulary he knew. His religious vocabulary may have been lacking but his understanding of what was happening to him that day was impeccable. "Hot dog!" "Hallelujah!" Isn't it great to be alive ...

17. In Praise of Perseverance

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... set the world's record for the mile run. Cunningham understood the interface between prayer and personal commitment. He practiced the adage: Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you. That day at the youth rally, Cunningham gave praise to God for answering his prayers for the courage and strength to do what he did. Personally, I left the youth rally with an understanding of the value of perseverance that has served me for a lifetime. The point is this: God created this ...

18. In Praise of Petunias

Micah 6:1-8

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... them is enough. Perhaps you can begin to understand why "petunias" are so dear to my heart. They are those folks who go right on doing their part without any special attention. No one fusses over them, pampers them, or cultivates them. No one praises them for their dependability or loyalty (although that would surely be deserved). But, like the petunia in the garden, they do not seem to mind. They contribute their effort without expecting to win a blue ribbon. They give of their beauty without begrudging ...

19. Praising God All Day Long

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... says, “To be happy is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." The author of Psalm 100 says, “Happiness is a chance to be in the house of the Lord." Today, let us enter God's gates with thanksgiving in our hearts. Let us come into God's presence with praise. I. GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. Would you consider the goodness of God with me for just a few moments? God made us. Verse 3: “Know that the Lord who made us is God. It is He ...

20. In Praise Of Goofing Off

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever noticed that different people have different attitudes about work? I heard about a congregation who had the same pastor for many years. He resigned and they hired a new young pastor with new ideas about church leadership. The first suggestion he made to the church's ruling body was that they hire a part-time person to look after the church lawn. "I'll have you know, parson," said one of the members indignantly, that our former pastor always took care of the church's lawn himself." "I'm aware ...

21. Lost in Wonder, Love and Praise

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

John E. Harnish

It seems my little jaunt into English grammar, and especially the proper placement of prepositions, produced more response than almost anything I have written in Steeple Notes. I suppose that, in itself, is amazing. Several of you sent me Winston Churchill's famous quotation: "This is a situation with which I will not put up." But the best one came from a couple of my Wednesday morning Arbon Dennis buddies. It's the story of the little girl, already in bed, who berated her father when he came to read to ...

22. Praising God on an Oatmeal Box

2 Samuel 6:12-23

Sermon

John E. Harnish

23. Praising Our Savior

Philippians 3:7-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

One of the real perks of being a pastor lies in the privilege of getting to know people. It has been my joy through the years not to just know about people, but to know people—to be invited into their homes and into their lives. Also, it has been a joy to share their victories and defeats, their joys and their sorrows, their lives and yes, sometimes their deaths. These relationships have greatly enriched my life. I believe it is this kind of relational yearning that inspired Paul to write the text I want ...

24. The Cost of a Priceless Gift

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Sermon

Clayton A. Lord

... told you his blood was poured out as an offering to seal the new covenant of eternal life. Jesus gave us his best gift and then he promised that it was just the beginning. How are you going to respond to that? How will you offer your first gift of praise? Will you declare that you will come to worship him at church regularly for the next year? Will you declare that you will find a ministry that you can get involved with and take a lead so that your offering can bless others? Will you pick up your Bible and ...

25. Prayer: A Way of Life

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... give thanks: "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" (Luke 17:17-18). Our daily prayer must be one of thanksgiving. We seldom think to thank ... you," but much harder to go out of our way in some gesture of thanksgiving. When God acts as we hope, we often give thanks and praise in return. But does our thanksgiving end with a word and a nod of the head? What can we actively do to demonstrate our thanks? Writing ...

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