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 269 results

1. The Vicarious Servant

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... for those in need. And every need that met his eyes touches his heart. "For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many," (Mark 10:45 RSV) he said to his disciples. His was sympathy with, and only as we catch his spirit will our indifference be put down. A Roman Catholic cleric agreed to leave an affluent assignment in the South to assume leadership in a popular diocese in the North where social problems of every sort abounded. Someone asked him "Why ...

2. No Tears for Me, Please

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... of Communism, said, "If I ever met a Christian, I'd become one." Nietzsche, the father of the "God is dead" philosophy, once challenged, "Show me first that you are redeemed; then I'll listen to talk about your Redeemer." Really, Jesus does not want our tears of sympathy for his passion; he wants obedience. That is far harder to do than to shed a tear. Not tears but witness is what Jesus wants from us. Our witness to others is extremely important to him, because he died to save all people, not only his own ...

3. A Cup Running Over

John 11:17-37

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... that he could thank God in advance for the miracle he was about to perform! IV. The most prominent feature of the story of the raising of Lazarus is the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hear it once more: "Jesus wept." There is more than "mere" sympathy in that simple verse. The tears that he shed were not merely the overflow from a surface pool of sentimentality; they spilled from a well of compassion that had its source at the very core of a caring heart. John wants us to know that. "Now Jesus loved ...

4. Getting Rid of Grudges

Luke 23:34

Sermon

James Merritt

... sneered and said: "I was never aware that we had quarreled." Well, it's much worse than that. At the garden of Eden man declared war on God, and until we wave the white flag of surrender and receive his forgiveness, we can never be right with Him. II. The Sympathy That Is Expressed If anyone ever had a right to be bitter it was Jesus. He was crucified for something he did not do (sin) by the very ones who did it (sinners). Do you ever feel unappreciated? Do you ever feel like nobody cares about what you do ...

5. The Compassionate Healings

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... life. We are surprised by death which comes like a thief in the night. We are shocked by Jesus' tardiness and by his response. We expect that Jesus would have said what we say when a death comes. "I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter. You have my sympathy. If there is anything I can do, don't hesitate to call me." Instead Jesus raised the stakes (and the eyebrows of the people in the crowd too, I suspect) by flying right in the face of the servants who had seen the girl die. Jesus said, "Don't be ...

6. The Divine-Human Nexus

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

... even benign neglect toward the needs of others. What the whole counsel of God tells us is that human beings are to love one another "not because (Jesus) tells them to with threats and promises - not from a regard for themselves, however subconscious - but with a spontaneous sympathy that regards only the other person’s good." Such a spontaneous sympathy is clearly not a part of the natural person, the homo incurvatus in sei, the man curved in on himself, the woman curved in on herself. Such a spontaneous ...

7. The Way Life Ought To Be

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... of Christ as their mind. Thus he begins with Christ. THEN HE PAINTS A POSITIVE PICTURE OF THE KIND OF CHURCH HE HOPES THEY WILL BECOME. "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to his own interests, but ...

8. Complete Joy

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... claim on us to do what he wishes. If there is any sharing in the Spirit, any fellowship with others, any generosity in our time of need, any participation in our grief, then Paul has a claim on us to do what he wishes. If there is any compassion and sympathy, if there is any affection, love, deep feeling, pity, or mercy, then Paul has a claim on us to do what he wishes. And that is the critical point - what Paul wishes us to do. He states it simply: He wants the people who heard his words to make his ...

9. Seeing God In The Ordinary: Friends

John 11:1-45

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... is wonderful! But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else, Susie. She tried to help, but they told her to get out. "You've done enough, you klutz!" As the day progressed, the sympathy got better and better and the ridicule got worse. Finally, at the end of the day, they are waiting for the bus, and once again Susie was shunned by the other children. The boy walked over to Susie and whispered, "Susie, you did that on purpose, didn't you?" Susie ...

10. Second Thoughts

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Robert Beringer

... a message of love, simply walked by the wounded person in the ditch. Apparently, he was one of those religious persons who are so heavenly minded, they are no earthly good! But as I have lived longer and experienced more of life, I have come to have a real sympathy for the Levite, the third of the travelers on the road to Jericho that day. Now he too passed by the person in need, but somehow I feel certain he did so only after a terrible struggle with what I am going to call his "second thoughts." In those ...

11. Sermons

Sermon

John R. Bodo

... relax and to renew their strength for the work they had to do in the countryside and, eventually, in Jerusalem. In spite of the Master's gentle rebuke to Martha recorded in the tenth chapter of Luke's Gospel, we remember her with sympathy, indeed with a feeling of deep kinship, because Martha is one of us: responsible, busy, 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 ...

12. Those Who Mourn

Sermon

John A. Terry

... blest are the sorrowful; they shall find consolation." (NEB) "Blessed is the one whose heart is broken for the world's suffering and for his own sin, for out of his sorrow he will find the joy of God!" (Barclay) "Happy are those who have a god-like sympathy toward their fellow man. They shall have the assurance that God cares for them." (Guth, The Pulpit 12/54) "Happy are they who bear their share of the world's pain: in the long run, they will know more happiness than those who avoid it." (The Pulpit 12 ...

13. The Merciful

Sermon

John A. Terry

... voluntary poverty in which "all the believers were together and held all things in common" (Acts 2:44). Mercy is not simply feeling sorry for someone. "I am sorry your cat is sick." It is more than an emotional wave of pity. It is a profound sympathy, being with others in their pain. There is a story about Queen Victoria of England. She was a close friend of Principal and Mrs. Tulloch of St. Andrews. Prince Albert died and Queen Victoria was left alone. Just about the same time, Principal Tulloch died and ...

14. Those Who Mourn

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

John A. Terry

15. The Merciful

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

John A. Terry

16. The Gift Of Encouragement

Acts 11:19-30

Sermon

Erskine White

... what you call them. Like all of us, children need positive motivation to grow and learn - they need that precious gift of encouragement. When someone falls and breaks a hip, I hate to see people come to visit them with long, drawn out faces, trying to show sympathy for their friend. Yes, the person is in the hospital, and yes, they've got a long road ahead of them. But they don't need gloom and doom; they need encouragement! They need inspiration and rehabilitation. They need to know that things will be all ...

17. Complaint from the Kitchen

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

... for Martha in some of the housewives of the congregation. It just doesn’t seem right, somehow, for one sister to be in the kitchen doing all the work of getting the meal while the other just sits and talks with the guest. This sympathy is not limited to the housewives here today. I have only the initials (M.K.H., quoted in the Salvation Army magazine) of the person who wrote this verse, but I suspect that a lot of other initials could be added to it in spirit: Lord of all pots and ...

18. Of Preachers and Preaching

Micah 1:8-16

Sermon

... or casual. Though it is a joyous and privileged task, it is very serious business. And now in case you are wondering why I say all this, let me assure you that it is not for the purpose of eliciting your sympathy for the complexities of the role I am trying to fill as your preacher and pastor - although sympathy is always comforting, of course, when a fellow can get it. My real concern, however, is to try to be frank with you about how I perceive myself in my role as your pastor, and to have you join with ...

19. A Higher Form of Love: The Good Neighbor

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... exhorted, "Do not even the Gentiles do the same? What reward do you have if you love only those who love you? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others?" Christian love is more than kindness. It is more than sympathy. Christian love is loving those who do not love you. It is affirming those who need affirmation. I hope that you will join me in praying that our churches will never become solely concerned with those of their fellowship who respond positively to life and to ...

20. The Bite of The Lying Tongue

Exodus 20:1-21, James 3:1-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... discuss events; and small minds talk about other people. Why do we spread negative statements about other people? Partly to prop up our own self-image. Our failures seem less grievous if we can rub the glitter off someone else's crown. Sometimes gossip takes the form of false sympathy. "Isn't it too bad how Mr. Blank beats his wife? I feel so sorry for her." Or, we can gossip by just asking a question, "Is it true that Mr. and Mrs. Blank are on the verge of divorce?" But you may reply: "Wait a minute, Bill ...

21. The Healing Community

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... Catholic theologian, has said this better than anyone else. The author of many books, Nouwen speaks of Christians as "wounded healers" who have compassion. Compassion is not pity. Pity lets us stay at a distance. It is condescending. Compassion is not sympathy. Sympathy is for superiors over inferiors. Compassion is not charity. Charity is for the rich to continue in their status over the poor. Compassion is born of God. It means entering into the other person’s problems. It means taking on the burdens ...

22. The Parable Of The Kindly Innkeeper

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... at the back of the store. He put both hands on my shoulders and said, ˜Eddie, I can't really express what I want to say, the sympathy I have in my heart for you. All I can say is that I'm sorry, and I want you to know that if you need anything ... across the way a passing acquaintance. Jim Potter [the druggist] may long since have forgotten that moment when he gave me his hand and his sympathy, but I shall never forget it never in all my life. To me it stands out like the silhouette of a lonely tree against a ...

23. Good Old What’s-His-Name

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... served by showing yourself to us and not to the world?” A strong tradition suggests that this man, too, was tinged with Zealot sympathies. He was still looking for a visible kingdom of God on earth, led by Jesus, who would slay His foes and lift high His ... Israel. (Cf. Matthew 19:28) But Jesus’ answer caught this fellow off guard, and may well be taken as a rebuke to his violent Zealot sympathies. Jesus said to him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come ...

24. Resting at the Mediocre Inn

John 12:20-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... Charles Gordon. The memorial bears this epitaph: “He gave his strength to the weak, his substance to the poor, his sympathy to the suffering, his heart to God.” Wow! Wouldn’t that be a great epitaph on our tombstones? “He--or she--gave her strength to the weak, ... her substance to the poor, her sympathy to the suffering, her heart to God.” That’s what we want, isn’t it? We don’t want to live forever in ...

25. Attics, Basements, Closets

Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... since the charges were made) the corporation had to put as much space as possible between itself and its beleaguered, nine-count indicted founder. All to avoid losing a measly $45,673. Of course, it's hard for some of us to feel a whole lot of sympathy. After all, the whole Martha Stewart empire was built around the notion that Martha is perfect, that Martha can do anything and everything perfectly, and that perfection can be our own goal in a good life of good things. For those of us whose homes manage to ...

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