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 396 results

1. Son-burned, Wind-blown, Earth-Stained

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of the Spirit. In other words, if you're born of the Spirit, you're unpredictable. You're wind-blown. Christians don't go with the flow. But Christians do go with the blow when the breezes blast forth from the wind of God's Spirit. Earth-stained: To this Son-burned, wind-blown, generally mussed up looking presence we must be willing to add one more component a little dirt. Grubby knees, greasy hands, grungy fingernails. I'm a wannabe gardener, but some people are born with green thumbs; others of us are ...

2. A Stone’s Throw From: New Life

John 8:3-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... It tells you, what solvent to use for nearly every kind of stain. Here's a few. Glycerin will remove the stain from a ball point pen. Boiling water will remove berry stains. Vinegar will remove crayon stains. Ammonia will remove blood stains. Alcohol will remove grass stains. Hydrogen peroxide is good for magic marker stains. Use bleach on mildew stains. Lemon juice works well on rust stains. But, you know what, the book lists absolutely nothing for the stain of sin. (2) And the reason it doesn't is because ...

3. Washed By Water: The Jordan

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Steve Swanson

... very stuff our lives are made of. Since Adam and Eve, since the beginning, since the fall of humankind, we have all needed to be picked up out of the dirt and filth, and washed off, scrubbed up. Baptism is that washing. But, we ask: if baptism washes away the stains and the guilt of sin, why in the world did Jesus want to be baptized? John the Baptist had the same question. John was one of the first to recognize Jesus as the Christ of God and he thought it was very strange, in fact absolutely crazy, that he ...

4. Tinctures of Truth in the Tincture of Time

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... first bright red drop of medicine to hit home. Parents took comfort in the fact that the more it stung the more germs must be getting killed. Kids took comfort in very little — except for the fact that both iodine and merthiolate left impressive blood-red stains on the wound until it healed. These were a red badge of, if not courage, at least of a common kid-in-kind communion in pain. Tinctures are technically an extract with alcohol in it (usually of some plant material) or a solution (like iodine) of ...

5. I Don't Do Windows

Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28

Sermon

Tony Everett

... of the present, God does not abandon us. God persists with passion. It is in the wilderness of the present that God forms us as a community, immune to the seductive temptations that bombard us from all sides. In the wilderness of the present, God cleanses us from the stain of sin on the inside. In the wilderness of the present, God shows us how to see clearly the reminders of his love in the past. In the wilderness of the present, God shows us how to live faithfully so that a blurry and uncertain future is ...

6. The Guiding Light for a New Year

Isaiah 60:1-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... ' Jeep and set it on fire, killing Graham and his two young sons, Philip and Timothy. This was only one tragic incident in a series of increasing anti-Christian violence by Hindu radicals. At the funeral for Staines and his sons, which was attended by more than 1,000 people, Staines' widow, Gladys, and his daughter, Esther, spoke of forgiveness and peace. Rather than being overcome by grief, they bravely stood over his coffin and sang a hymn of hope: "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives ...

7. Forgiveness: Human and Divine

Matthew 6:12-15

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

... guilt, to make us whole and to reconcile us to himself. He alone can cancel the debt. We are guilty before God, we are transgressors of his law, transgressors of that beautiful relationship he wants to have with us. Jesus alone can remove our guilty feelings, and take the stain away from our minds and from our consciences. Sin separates us from God. We know that. But the guilt of that sin causes us to shun God, to run and hide from God as Adam and Eve did in the garden. Sin and guilt create a great chasm, a ...

8. Cross Purposes

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... to put more powder on the spot. But the next day he sent the suit to the cleaner's to get the spot removed once and for all. The blood of Jesus does not superficially cover up our sins, but his blood expiates the sin, erases the stain for all time. Because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, because of the shedding of his precious blood, God accepts the sinner for Jesus' sake. The sinner stands before God fresh and clean. His filthy rags have been replaced with the perfect robe of righteousness given ...

9. A Terrific Trade

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... commandment I ever broke, every needy person I ever ignored, every lustful thought I ever had, every profanity I ever uttered...all have left dirty marks on my coat. What a filthy garment it is! I must wear the coat and no cleaner on earth can remove its stains, stains, and smudges. Let's suppose that Jesus approaches me. I try to hide because I don't want him to see my filthy coat; it reveals everything bad about me. But Jesus finds me and says, "Bill, I know all about your coat. I love you anyway. Give ...

10. Take This Job And Love It

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... finger and it became infected. The wound opened up during one of his concerts, but Paderewski continued playing with just as much force and passion as ever. At the end of the concert, the piano keyboard was covered in blood. (1) I thought of Paderewski's blood-stained piano when I read our text from Paul's letter to the Thessalonians. He writes: "Now here is a command, dear brothers, given in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ by his authority: Stay away from any Christian who spends his days in laziness and ...

11. Grace in the Midst of Weakness

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... and said, "I'd have to say the best prayer I ever prayed was when I was dangling upside-down by my heels from a power pole about forty feet above the ground." The most cursory venture into the stories of scripture reveals that most of the stained glass saints who filter the light of the world's great cathedrals prayed a lot more like the telephone guy than those pastors. In the Bible, the Big Names get into Big Trouble. Weaknesses abound in God's chosen servants. Consider this excerpt from the book of ...

12. Hosea's Marriage Troubles

Hosea 2:14-20

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... their piece of the fragmented glass into the basket. The baskets were taken up to the altar and poured into a metal pan. When the last basket was emptied into the pan, a cloth behind the altar dropped, and there was a cross made of pieces of fragmented stained glass. The prophets revealed that God is a God of righteousness. God demands righteousness, moral behavior, from all of us. Hosea revealed that God is also a God of faithfulness, and God wants most of all to be reconciled to us. That's what we saw in ...

13. RSVP—By Invitation Only

Luke 14:15-24

Sermon

James Merritt

... those who have not joined us as yet?" I said, "Absolutely, I will be glad to." He said, "Go therefore into all the nations." As I walked out of that restaurant, I thought about how I walked in. I walked into the restaurant called "God's Grace" dirty and hungry; stained in sin; my righteousness as filthy rags. Then Jesus cleaned me up. I walked out a brand new man robed in white, with His righteousness. So I will keep my promise to my Lord. I will go; I will spread the word; I will share the gospel; I will ...

14. Who Are We Waiting For?

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... : He has a better idea. God is like a Coke: He’s the real thing. God is like Pan Am: He makes the going great. God is Bayer aspirin: He works wonders. God is like General Electric: He lights your path. God is like Tide: He gets the stain out that others leave behind. God is like VO5 Hairspray: He holds through all kinds of weather. Keep in mind as we reflect briefly today on the question, “Who Are We Waiting For?” This is the first Sunday of Advent. In the Christian year, particular seasons help us ...

15. The Three Kings

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). Elizabeth Kubler‑Ross, that pioneer on dying and how it relates to living, once wrote: “People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” In 1 Peter 2:9 we read, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy ...

16. A Misguided Game of Hide-and-Seek

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... with no notice at all. The Almighty may very well be hard at work up on the mountain. But alas, most of us spend our days down in the valley ... waiting! David Buttrick tells the story of an inner-city church which had a large, round, stained-glass window directly behind the pulpit. The theme of this magnificent window was that inspiring verse from chapter 21 of Revelation: "... the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." And there it stood ...

17. Creative Preaching

Sermon

Michael Rogness

... memories flooded his mind -- the joy of the boy's birth, the games they had played, the excitement of the boy when they had gone fishing, all the times they had worked side-by-side in the fields. Finally his son disappeared down the road, and with tear-stained cheeks he turned and went back home, to a house that now seemed lonely and empty. Most of those words and descriptions are not in the text, but they are consistent with the situation, and the story comes alive to those who listen. Every parent in the ...

18. Tilted Haloes

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

James Weekley

... set down a cup of tea, a hand accidently knocked it against the wall. It left an ugly stain. One of the guests got up, went to the wall, and began sketching around the stain with a crayon. What emerged was a stag with magnificent antlers. The man was Sir Edwin Landseer, ... England's foremost painter of animals. If an artist can transform an unsightly stain into a beautiful masterpiece, think what God can do with our sins. He absolves them and, in their place, refashions ...

19. The Victory Of The Cross

Sermon

Erskine White

... inside wall. Now, it happened that one of the church's wealthier members didn't like the cross there and said it was an eyesore. He offered to give a huge donation to the church in order to take the cross out of the wall and replace it with a stained glass window. But when he presented his idea to the church's leaders, they said to him, "We cannot do what you ask. The architect designed the church to have this cross; it gives strength to the wall. If you take away the cross, you will destroy the church." In ...

20. What Would Bill Do?

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... out using a bargain detergent, but it just wouldn’t come out. After a quick trip to the supermarket, I purchased a bottle of liquid Tide with bleach added, and to my surprise and satisfaction, all of the stains came out! In fact, the stains came out so well the detectives who came by yesterday told me that the DNA tests on my blouse were negative and then my attorney called and said that I would no longer be considered a suspect in the disappearance of my husband. What a relief! Going through menopause ...

21. Who Are You Waiting For?

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... real thing. God is like PanAm – he makes the going great. God is like Bayer aspirin – he works wonders. God is like General Electric – he lights your path. God is like Hallmark cards – he carried enough to send the best. God is like Tide – he gets the stain out that others leave behind.” She had a lot more to say, ending up with this. “God is like Pepsi – he has a lot to give.” We grin at this, it is contrived, even trite - perhaps a bit irreverent. But when you reflect on what is being ...

22. To Be a Pilgrim (Thanksgiving)

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Alex Gondola

... used their pumpkins for, by the way, not pumpkin pies. The Pilgrims mixed pumpkins, parsnips, and walnut chips and brewed pumpkin beer. I don’t think that’s going to catch on in any microbrewery anytime soon! The Pilgrims were neither rigid fanatics nor stained-glass saints. They were ordinary people with extraordinary faith. They were, like most of us, on a pilgrimage, searching for truth and a closer connection to God. Let’s take a few moments to think about what it means "to be a Pilgrim," both ...

23. God's Dirty Job

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... hands of God. I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel God’s hands upon my face. Here is one of the questions I suspect we will be asked at Judgment Day: “Show me your hands.” If our hands are clean and dry, rather than wet, stained, and dirty, then we should fear to hear, “Depart from me.” Are we afraid to passionately engage with others because we are concerned about keeping our hands clean? Do we think we are better than God, who got dirty hands when scooping us out of the dust and clay ...

24. Getting Rid of Anger

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

King Duncan

... with a dark center all over the pocket. His wife said, “It won’t wash out, I’ll try the dry cleaners.” So, his wife took the white shirt with the dark red stain on the shirt pocket to the very dry cleaner Bob had exploded at. The manager took a long, slow look at the dark red stain on the front of the shirt and then looked sideways at Bob’s wife and said quietly, “Good shot.” (1) I would say Bob probably didn’t make a very good impression on that manager. I won’t ask if any of you ...

25. Something to Brag About

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... wool. Then the weavers sorted the wool into two piles. Over here was a small pile of perfect white wool. The weavers would take that perfect white wool and weave it just as it was. But over in another area lay a pile of flawed, tarnished, stained wool. The weavers took the flawed wool and dyed it many colors. Then, with great skill, they began weaving the flawed wool. Weaving 60,000 knots every square meter they took that newly dyed wool and produced magnificent wool rugs. “All of a sudden Donna scarred ...

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