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 525 results

1. Stain Remover

1 John 2:2

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

... do we want to get rid of the stains? (Children respond.) Stains ruin the way our clothes look. We like to look neat and clean. We don't want to look dirty. Who wants old, nasty stains all over their clothes? Did you know that we can get stains on the inside? We get inside stains when we sin. Does anyone know what sin is? (Select a volunteer or offer the answer.) Sin is what we do that hurts God. Sin is what we do wrong such as not telling the truth, fighting, stealing, and disobeying our parents. Whenever ...

2. For Someone Who Will Be Terribly Missed

Job 19:23-27 · John 12:23-26 · John 14:1-6 · Acts 1:21-26

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

... to the painting’s beauty. Pat’s death has left this black stain upon all of our hearts, especially upon Sheila’s heart, his wife whom he loved so much. Especially upon the hearts of his children Christine and Susan and Patrick. Pat’s death also left a stain on the hearts of his sister Maureen and his brother Kevin, his two nieces, his nephew, his cousins and all the friends he made throughout the course of his life. The challenge for all of them, for all of us, is that we make something of the stain ...

3. For Someone Who Filled Their World With Laughter

Zephaniah 3:14-18 · Job 8:20-22

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

... painting ended up adding to the painting’s beauty. Those wonderful qualities of living that Lee had shown to us is what I would call the paint Lee left behind for us to use for that stain on our hearts, the stain that got placed there when Lee passed away a few days ago. Now, if we can use that paint to make something of the stain on our hearts, if we can use that paint to make our lives more beautiful, in other words, if we can bring smiles to people’s faces and get them to laugh, if we can love as ...

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. The Three Kings

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... some carpet cleaning businesses sometimes use to get pet owners to employ their services. To show potential customers their need for the service, they darken the room and then turn on a powerful black light. The black light causes crystals from certain pet stains on their customers’ carpets to glow brightly. To the horror of the homeowner every drop and dribble can be seen, not only on the carpet, but usually on walls, drapes, furniture, and even on lamp shades. One salesman tells the story of a homeowner ...

6. A Terrific Trade

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... penalty for every smudge and stain. And at that very moment when he cries out from the cross, "It is finished" and breathes his last, suddenly I, become aware that I am wearing a new coat. Instantly I recognize it. It is Jesus' coat. Not a smudge or a stain on it. It's a coat of perfect righteousness. Now I can walk into the very presence of God, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus. What a trade! Several years ago I was helping my friend Albert in a revival in a small town. One afternoon we were about to ...

7. Getting Rid of Anger

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

King Duncan

... made a ghastly red stain 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 ...

8. A LITURGICAL DRAMA FOR LENT

Drama

Tom Eberle

... ’t want to return. Do you remember what you used to do when you would fall and cut yourself? Son: No. But I remember that red stuff you put on me would burn like crazy. Mother: But as soon as it stopped burning you would become fascinated with the red stain on your skin. And you would tell me that even though it stung, the next time you fell you wanted it put on your cut again. That’s how it is on the other side of the colored glass. Each time a pain is encountered, each moment a human sore is ...

9. What the Storms Blow Away

Matthew 7:21-29

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... , shiny windows leaked. Right after a good rain, a dark semicircle of water marked the hallways by the windows. Those water stains were tattletales. The building was brand new. The building leaked, not because of age, but because of shoddy workmanship. The stains on the carpets pointed their fingers at the contractor. Any insistent storm peeled back the curtain and exposed a sin that no one could see in the sunshine. Matthew closes out the Sermon on the Mount with a parable from Jesus about what happens ...

10. Decisive Battles With Temptation

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Robert Allen

... force any person to obey him nor will he shield anyone from temptation. And temptations always begin as an inner struggle in our hearts and minds. The inner struggle with temptation is not imaginary. It is very real. To this day, you can see the ink stain on the wall of Martin Luther’s study. Almost 550 years ago, Luther caused that ink stain by throwing his ink jar at the devil as he tempted him in his own innermost thoughts and desires. Bishop Fulton Sheen was one of the most respected religious figures ...

11. You're A Good Kid!

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... opportunity to assist his parish priest in the service of Communion. Ironically, each boy, while handling the communion cup, accidentally spilled some of the wine on the carpet. There the similarities end. The priest in the Eastern European church, seeing the purple stain on the carpet, slapped the little altar boy hard across the face and shouted, "Clumsy oaf! Leave the altar!" That little boy grew up to become an atheist and a Communist. He was the strongman dictator of Yugoslavia from 1943 to 1980. His ...

12. My Precious, My Precious

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... your ministry? Is it only church trash (bulletins, tracts, etc.)? Or is it world trash like cigarette butts, beer bottles, fast-food containers, etc? Does your church lawn and yard exist for itself? Or does it exist for serving others? 2) Are there coffee stains on the carpet? At a church conference in Winnipeg, Canada, the pastor was trying to get us back into the sanctuary after mid-morning break. He yelled to all of us waiting to finish our coffee before coming into the sanctuary, "Come on in and bring ...

13. Down by the Riverside

Mark 1:4-11 · Genesis 1:1-5

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . Each boy was given the opportunity to assist his parish priest in the service of Holy Communion. Ironically, while handling the communion cup, each boy accidentally spilled some of the wine on the carpet. It's there that the similarities end. Seeing the purple stain on the carpet, the priest in the Eastern European church slapped the little altar boy across the face and shouted, "You clumsy oaf! Leave the altar!" That little boy left and grew up to become an atheist and a Communist. He grew up to be ...

14. Signs, Sayings, and Oracles of Judgment

Ezekiel 12:1-28, Ezekiel 13:1-23, Ezekiel 14:1-11, Ezekiel 14:12-23

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... shore up the unrealistic expectations of their patrons with soothing words—like a dishonest builder using whitewash to pretty up an ill-built wall. Some years ago, my wife worked for a time in a damp basement office. A spreading mildew stain on the wall witnessed to the unhealthy conditions of this workplace. But rather than addressing these problems seriously, management attempted in a variety of ways to cover up the mildewed wall, finally enclosing it behind wood paneling! Of course, the basement office ...

15. Jesus Is Tried before Pilate and Sentenced to Death

Matthew 27:1-10, Matthew 27:11-26

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... . God’s ways are not ours: Jesus comes as a king who gives up rather than asserts power to bring about God’s restoration and people’s salvation. 2. Matthew shows that, in the end, all humanity is responsible for Jesus’ death. It has been a stain on the history of Jewish-Christian relations that the words of 27:25, “His blood is on us and on our children,” have been used not only to focus blame (exclusively) on Jews but also to inflict harm on them. As Amy-Jill Levine suggests, “The failure ...

16. The Healing Power of Faith

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... of silence. Then, from behind the curtain came these words, “Fwank fell down!” I don’t know how you feel about faith healing. I suspect that as a business, a very profitable business, God despises it. Showy crusades and shallow evangelists have brought a deep stain on the authentic work of Christ in the world. Yet healing is very much a part of the story of the church. Long before there were MRIs and the miracles of modern medicine, there were humble pastors as well as devoted lay people bowing their ...

17. Be Near, Ye Faithful

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sermon

Ronald Love

... him from completing his translation of the Bible. It is here that we have the famous story that Luther finally became so angry at Satan that he threw his inkwell at him. If you would visit the castle, even today you can see the ink stain on the castle wall. Paul offered his ideas on how to remain spiritually alive so Christians don’t succumb to these evil spirits. We accomplish this by engaging in spiritual disciplines. We attend Sunday school, and then we go to the sanctuary to worship. We are involved ...

18. Like Buoys In The River

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... spots. Watch out so you won't snag your plow. Follow my commandments and you will discover the good life." How can we be sure that God would command only what is best for us? The signature of his caring is in the nailprints in his hands and the blood stains on a cross. His commandments are valentines, straight from the heart of God. Let's live by them!

19. The Perfect Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... it and make it the core of your very life, will move heaven and earth. There is an old Calvin and Hobbes cartoon in which Calvin is getting undressed for bed, and he says to Hobbes, “Any time when you don’t finish the day with grass stains on your knees, you ought to seriously re‑examine your priorities.” So it is with the follower of Christ. Anytime you don’t finish a day without some time spent on your knees acknowledging who God is and what God wants, making your petitions known and asking his ...

20. A Guide for Growth

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... him to see a strange offering which had been placed at the very center of the altar. Upon examination they discovered it to be a pair of brown corduroy trousers, a belt, a white T-shirt, a pair of tan suede boots, and a note. There were blood stains on the shirt and on the note. The note had been written on one of the pledge cards which they had placed in the pews for that year’s Loyalty Sunday. A name was written large and under lined three times. Then the plea, also underlined, “Please listen to ...

21. Tales of the Spiritually Stupid

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 18-22

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... fill a page or even two. To give a few examples: • Those acrimonious theological arguments at ecclesiastical conferences when some people quote the Bible without having actually read it. • Those "hissy-fits" made in the pew regarding noisy children or stains on the carpet of the youth room by people who then ask the pastor why the church has so few children. Duh! • Church members who oppose making their building accessible to persons with handicapping conditions because, "We don't have anybody like ...

22. When Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Matthew 21:23-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... early one morning. The custodian wanted him to see a strange offering that had been left on the altar. Hanging on the altar were a pair of brown corduroy pants, a belt, a white T-shirt, a pair of tan suede boots, and a note. He noticed blood stains on both the shirt and on the note. The note consisted of only three words, "Please listen God." It was signed and included a phone number. The pastor dialed the number. A nineteen-year-old man answered and told his story. He had run away from home and had ...

23. Go, Climb A Mountain!

Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... didn't come in one day or even two. I bet your journey had its ups and downs. There might have been humiliating moments like falling off the bike in front of friends. Or leaping from the toppling bike onto the grass. Mom wouldn't appreciate the grass stain on your jeans. What about those skinned knees? Out came that stinging orange stuff and Band-Aids. Ouch! That part really hurt! But you kept at it. You could hear your partner's words along side of you, "I'm right here. We'll keep trying. It'll happen ...

24. A Life-changing Question

John 9:1-41

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... should have explained the internet a little better. Maybe the internet can’t answer every question. It reminds me of a story that comedian David Brenner told. He had just boarded a crowded subway car, and the only seat he could find had a stain on it. Brenner spread his newspaper on the seat and sat down. A man sitting nearby asked, “Are you reading that newspaper?” Brenner answered, “Yes,” then stood up, turned the page, and sat down on the newspaper again. (2) Not every question leads to greater ...

25. Balak to Hire Balaam

Numbers 22:1-20

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... , was so tormented by demons that he threw an inkwell at one of them; though historians tell us that this story probably is the brainchild of overzealous caretakers of the room in Wartburg where he worked on his translation, who even pointed to a stain on the wall as proof of this legend.7But what Luther probably meant was that he figuratively threw ink at Satan; that is, he created books on theology and, most especially, produced a German translation of the Bible. Although Luther knew of the devil and ...

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