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 1 to 25 of 285 results

1. A Sympathetic High Priest

Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... gratitude, no matter how bad things look, Christians see Jesus on the cross and gratefully see God suffer for them, both on Easter and in the tragedies of their own lives. But we Christians also know that Easter is coming. We have hope buoyed by our sympathetic God that things will be all right in the long run. Dietrich Bonhoeffer beautifully reminds us of this realistic hope. As he put it: Where there is still hope, there is no defeat; there may be every kind of weakness, much clamor and complaining, much ...

2. Sympathetic Scars

Hebrews 4:15

Children's Sermon

Object: a scar or callous on your body. Boys and girls, I want to show you my . I got this when I was (tell them the circumstances). Have any of you a scar or a callous? How did you get yours? (Let them tell you. You may want to put a time limit on this.) Now that we've looked at our callouses and our scars, we're ready for a story. Once upon a time there was a young man whose father gave him a hard job to do. The young man knew the job would be hard and he didn't want to do it because he wasn't sure he ...

3. I'm a Chunk of Coal, but I'm Gonna Be a Diamond

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the stone's interior. "What have you done to it!" exclaimed the amazed customer. "This is an opal," the jeweler explained. "It is what we call a sympathetic jewel. It needs only to be gripped by a human hand to bring out all the color, depth, and beauty trapped within it." Are you a sympathetic jewel or a Centenary Stone? God's favorite gemstones are the sympathetic jewels – those that only really dazzle and radiate their colors when gripped by another. It is the warmth and life of the hand that sets fire ...

4. Daniel in the Den of Lions

Daniel 6:1-28

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... of this retribution. If so, it does not mean that readers today must agree; it is appropriate to be outraged at the slaughter of the innocents. Some Christians would go even further to argue that in the light of Jesus Christ, we should have a more sympathetic and compassionate attitude toward the enemies (Matt. 5:44–45; Luke 6:27–28, 35–36). While this is true, even the NT supports the notions of justice and retribution. We should not take justice into our own hands to seek vengeance on others, but we ...

5. Suffering for Doing Good

1 Peter 3:8-22

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... JB); “united” (REB); “one in your attitude to life” (Barclay); “like one big happy family” (LB). The theme of unity among Christians is stressed again and again in the NT, not as an optional luxury but as an essential characteristic of Christianity. Be sympathetic (sympatheis; the only occurrence in the NT): lit. “suffer with,” i.e., share feelings; happier experiences are not excluded, for we are to rejoice with the joyful as well as to weep with the mournful (Rom. 12:15; 1 Cor. 12:26; Heb ...

6. Recovering From the Blahs

1 Kings 19:9-18

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... the burden of concern. This is one way we can help the discouraged. Just lend an interested and sympathetic ear to troubled people. Ann Landers reports that she receives daily thousands of letters from people who need to share their problems. We do not have to ... say anything nor give advice. It is a service of sympathetic listening. It helps the discouraged person just to cry on a shoulder. Like Elijah, we have bad news to tell God. A young ...

7. Blinding Specks

Matthew 7:1-6

Sermon

Herchel H. Sheets

... away from our own defects, and when we are forced by untoward events to consider them find it easy to condone them."7 Perhaps then if we gave more attention to the why, and not just to the what, of others’ faults and wrongs, we might be more sympathetic toward them. Robert Burns wrote: Then gently scan your brother man, Still gentler sister woman; Though they may gang a kennin wrang, To step aside is human. One point must still be greatly dark, The moving Why they do it; And just as lamely can ye mark How ...

8. A Cup Running Over

John 11:17-37

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... call to mind that verse in the Letter to the Hebrews, "For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning" (4:13). Yes, he is One who is sympathetic enough, and sensitive enough, to burst into tears over a friend’s misfortune. A man, who as a child helped on the route, remembers how his milkman father sang as they made their deliveries early in the morning. I can still hear him (he says), and his voice ...

9. Good Friday

Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, John 19:17-27, John 19:28-37

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... Jesus we pray. Amen Prayer of Confession Compassionate God, we confess how sensitive we can often be to our own pain while yet being insensitive to the sufferings of others. Forgive us our hardness of heart, O God. Set before us the example of your suffering and sympathetic Son. So that we may learn in the anguish of his crucifixion what it means to be compassionate and godly as well as anguished and human, and may thus be able to be more effective in ministry and service to the world. In his precious name ...

10. Proper 24

Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, Mark 10:35-45

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... appreciate that selfless act; that we may know in our hearts how fortunate we are to have a God who is involved in history and humanity. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen Prayer of Confession Most understanding God, we confess that we are not always as sympathetic with one another or as understanding of other’s faults and failings as we should be. Forgive us, we pray. Inspire us with your example in Christ, that we may strive to feel deeply the human condition of others, and to love them unconditionally. In ...

11. The Baptism of Our Work

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... coping with a 3 year old, a 1 and 1/2 year old and a new born baby. Her husband came home one day to find five dozen diapers hanging on a line in the back yard. "I saw all the white flags in the backyard," he said sympathetically. "I take it that you have surrendered." There are times when we may be tempted to surrender. Some of us have occupations that are filled with drudgery with few tangible rewards. Yet most of us understand that work is important in our lives even beyond the financial necessity ...

12. Help For Hurting Dads

Galatians 3:15-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... me see that, under the circumstances, he might have done much worse. By the time he died, I can honestly say we were friends." (2) Some Dads have problems that prevent them from being the kind of Dads they should be. Some Dads never had a model for the loving, sympathetic father that their children crave. Some Dads are full of anger, full of selfloathing, full of fear. And to a certain extent they can't help it. But there is a second thing we need to see: IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO BUILD NEW BRIDGES. If you see ...

13. Building A Home

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... how much his family had changed. He was looking forward to two things when he got off the plane: telling his mother how much her letters had meant to him, and hearing his little nephews call him Uncle Michael. Patsy, a mother herself, was able to offer a sympathetic ear. She told him about her son's return from fighting in Guam. When he got off the plane, he pulled Patsy into a long and heartfelt hug. It had meant the world to her. Before the plane landed, Patsy informed a flight attendant about Michael's ...

14. The Proof Is in the Pudding

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... the face of troubles and injustices, "O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen?" (Habakkuk 1:2). At Rephidim, the people of Israel voiced such a quintessential question of faith: "Is the Lord among us or not?" We may be instinctively sympathetic with Israel's question, for it may be a question we have asked along the way. In a hospital room, in a financial crisis, in the aftermath of some natural disaster, in the wake of some tragic accident, we have wondered, too: "Is the Lord among ...

15. The Ear, the Tongue, and the Temper: A Lesson in Spiritual Anatomy

James 1:17-27

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... ... important enough for me to take an hour and a half of my time to listen. Your words and message are of concern to me." Are our ears more attuned to gossip than to the gospel? Which do we listen to more closely? We are called to listen more sympathetically to others. We are called to examine our sense of hearing. Be slow to speak. The power of speech differentiates us from the lower animals. Yet the misuse of it can degrade us lower than any animal. Our speech is one of the most revealing aspects of our ...

16. To Elders and Young Men

1 Peter 5:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... called to look after the people of the new covenant inaugurated by Jesus Christ. It follows that each elder’s attitude toward the members of the church allocated to the elder for oversight must reflect the divine attitude—and show God’s love, forbearance, forgiveness, sympathetic understanding, not to mention God’s tireless service at all times. It is a tall order for any elder. No wonder Peter has made a special point of it all in these few words. 5:4 The elders’ reward will not be in terms of ...

17. A Letter to the Exiles

Jeremiah 29:1-23

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... we read about Shaphan’s son Gemariah and the latter’s son Micaiah (see vv. 10–12), who tried to get King Jehoiakim to take Jeremiah’s prophecy seriously. Since Shaphan and all his sons and grandsons were members of the royal court and also sympathetic to Jeremiah, we can safely assume the same for Elasah. While Shaphan was Josiah’s secretary, Hilkiah, mentioned as Gemariah’s father, was high priest. Since he is given a different parentage, it is unlikely that this Gemariah is the same as the one ...

18. When Mickey Mouse Recognizes You...

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... restaurant in town knows you by name. It’s where you sit at the final banquet table which Christ has prepared for all his saints. Those places are reserved for people with compassionate hearts who are willing to do more than give sympathetic nods to those who are hurting, but will also offer a sympathetic hand. There is an old, old story about a young boy who, on an errand for his mother, had just bought a dozen eggs. Walking out of the store, he tripped and dropped the sack. All the eggs broke, and the ...

19. 2025 Lent Sermon Series

Sermon

Various Authors

... Up For Jesus And What’s Ahead – Philippians 3:4b-14 7. God Doesn’t Always Behave Like We Think He Should – Philippians 2:5-11 8. In the Presence of Christ – 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 9. Look What Happened on the Cross – Hebrews 10:16-25 10. A Sympathetic High Priest - Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 11. Why the Resurrection Makes Sense – 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 12. Easter Makes Us One! – Acts 10:34-43 Navigating the Sermon in Lent by Various Authors 1. Dust in the Wind - Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 2. A ...

20. Good News Among The Rubble

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... able to withstand or contradict." What a challenge and what a promise! Look for opportunities to bear witness to the Christian faith in the worst of circumstances. Many of us find it difficult enough to speak a good word for Jesus Christ when we are in a sympathetic situation, much less when the atmosphere is hostile. We feel that we don't know what to say. We are uncomfortable and hesitant. We fear failure. Can we lay hold of the promise Jesus gave his first disciples? He told them not to worry about what ...

21. Which Way To Jesus?

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... who you know." That is true whether you are looking for a job, trying to get tickets to the Final Four, or trying to meet the guest soloist backstage at the symphony. The Greeks went to someone who could understand them and probably would also be sympathetic to them. Philip responded to that well enough. Though he wanted to do something for the strangers, he was rather timid himself. He went to get another Greek-speaking disciple by the name of Andrew, and the two of them were able to usher the Greeks into ...

22. The Perisitent Noise Of Solemn Assemblies

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... for real reformation. But let it not be that for the church either, knowing that we shall receive the greater judgment. We are called for involvement, for participation in the world. We are called for reform, for new visions of social structuring, for generous and sympathetic aid for the weak and suffering. Christianity is not a religion for the survival of the fittest, or the richest, or the privileged, or the most brutal. It is a religion for the survival of the weak as well as the strong, the poor as ...

23. Learn To Wait Creatively

James 5:7-12

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... First, how do we learn patient waiting? I am convinced that we all need a quiet center where we can go away for a time from our hectic schedules and frantic living and simply learn to be still by engaging in prayer and meditation. In such a sympathetic environment we can learn patient waiting. Of course, saying this is easier than actually doing it. Consider a few practical guidelines. One, it will be helpful if we develop a special time to remind us to cultivate our interior life. I heard of a woman who ...

24. Saint Valentine, Bishop Of Love

Mk 12:30 · Ps:14; 119:11 · 1 Ch 28:9

Children's Sermon

Robert B. Lantz

... who lived back in the days of the Roman Empire. It seems as though the Roman officials had a rule against young people being married in the church. Many young Christians wanted to be married by the priest in the church with God's blessing. Valentinus was sympathetic to these people and continued to marry them even though he was often threatened by the government authorities. Finally he was taken to Rome and put to death for his faith and his defiance of the Emperor's rule. In memory and honor of this man ...

25. Sermons

Sermon

John R. Bodo

... , frequently overwhelmed. Christians are, for the most part, extremely responsible people. In a nation where at any time millions are in full, headlong flight from responsibility, this is a sincere compliment: to Martha and to most of us who find it easy sympathetically to identify with her. We have among us several million alcoholics who have escaped from responsibility -- into a tragic prison of their own making. We are aware, more dimly but with far greater distaste and fear, of hundreds of thousands of ...

Showing results