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 81 results
1. Be Shrewd
Luke 16:1-15
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... with an eye towards the kingdom, the age to come. Most commentaries see here a continuation of Jesus’ call to give alms to the poor and to act charitably and forgivingly towards all those who are suffering. The “children of light” are to use tainted resources, that is worldly wealth, in such a way that it points forward, so that it focuses faith forward toward the greatness of the coming kingdom, where eternal life will be the greatest reward. The dishonest servant used dishonest money to plan for his ...
2. Sparkle
Luke 4:31-37
Sermon
Lori Wagner
... spirit within a person or within the body itself. Troubled congregations, like trouble souls, are not peaceable places, but are plagued by unrest. When Isaiah says, the Lord is your restorer, we know that in Jesus, when Jesus is present, what is tainted by sin can be restored to wholeness, love, peace, and harmony. Interesting in Matthew’s account is Jesus’ move to Capernaum, where he began healing many “demons” and teaching in synagogues. Why this move? In a sense, Capernaum becomes a metaphor too ...
3. Weeds
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Sermon
William G. Carter
... , some want to pluck out the evil. Pull the weeds. That is an understandable response. Every once in a while, you hear about somebody who wants to purify the world, or at least their corner of it. They will go in there and separate the weeds from the wheat, the tainted from the pure, the evil from the good, the goats from the sheep, the left from the right. They are on a crusade to restore things to the way they were intended to be. We might even hear somebody come along and say, “I’m going to drain the ...
Sermon
Larry Powell
... and invite us to surrender our lives to the leadership of the Spirit. It is a good formula, until it becomes corrupted by the one dispensing the formula. Then the "truth" as well as the vehicle of truth, becomes tangled. We are familiar with both tainted and tangled truth. So were the disciples. Here was Jesus saying one thing and the government, religious authorities, and circumstances saying another. Jesus had said, "I am the true vine," but the Pharisees and scribes said he was not of the vine of Israel ...
5. A Maturing Faith
Acts 16:16-40
Sermon
Douglas J. Deuel
... of salvation" (Acts 16:17). She did this for many days. Finally, Paul became so annoyed with her that he cast out the spirit. Thus, her owners could no longer profit off of her. Obviously, Paul did not want his ministry or the promotion of the gospel tainted by any connection with this peculiar girl. He may also have been concerned for the girl herself and the way she was being exploited. The slave's owners obviously were not concerned with the girl's well-being. When she was healed, they did not rejoice ...
6. Clean Hands
Mark 7:1-23
Sermon
King Duncan
... . In the marketplace, they would have come into contact with Gentiles, non-Jews. This contact with non-Jews made them ritually unclean. Before they could be acceptable in God's sight again, they had to wash away the "taint" of the Gentiles. Gentiles? Yes, that's us. They didn't want to be tainted by contact with slimy, creepy, crawly creatures like you and me. You see, we were once on the outside looking in. If we could see ourselves as those who were once discriminated against because of our ethnic origins ...
7. Victory at Sea
Exodus 13:17--14:31
Sermon
Mark Trotter
... that is present in the sacrament of baptism. But what about babies and cleansing? Babies don't need to be cleansed of their sins. There are still some Christians around, however, who believe that the human race is tainted by the curse of Original Sin, and therefore the purpose of baptism is to wash that taint away. I don't believe that, and neither does our tradition, I am happy to say. The understanding of baptism as "the removal of a curse," is to violate a sacrament in order to cure a misunderstanding ...
8. Tale of the Tares
Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 9:35-38
Sermon
Lori Wagner
... one in humankind is inherently evil! The parable clearly says that God spread all good seed! In another parable, Jesus also explains, sometimes some seeds “take” and others don’t. But in this parable, some seed that already has become “tainted” has been sown within the good field. Tainted seed are seeds that have already become changed from a condition of evil. Jesus warns us not to be overzealous in our desire to “purify” the world. Patience He warns! “Don’t rip out wheat in your zeal to ...
Sermon
William G. Carter
... In the late 1700s, that may or may not have been a good idea. History tells many sad stories of European Christians who spoke to people who were neither European nor Christian. They tried to make these people Christians, but inevitably tainted them as Europeans. Frequently it was conversion by coercion. Let's confess, some people were better off before the Christian missionaries got to them. Progress and firepower have not been universally positive influences among innocent civilizations. These days, it is ...
Sermon
John A. Stroman
... , All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful: The Lord God made them all. There have been times in the history of the church when Christians sought to escape from the world, feeling that physical and fleshly things were tainted and sinful. There is not the slightest evidence of this in the creation account in Genesis. The Bible tells us how God cares for and rejoices in God's creation. In Matthew 6, God feeds the birds; a sparrow does not fall from the nest ...
Sermon
Steven E. Albertin
... is still missing. That something is the ability to follow through. There is no person on earth who can follow through and keep this command to love God and neighbor. There is no person on earth who can do it because there is no person not tainted by the curse of Eden, because there is no person this side of Genesis 3 whose self-esteem is uncracked. The Scriptures and the Christian tradition boldly announce to the world that this kind of self-esteem, this conviction that we are indeed somebody, even in ...
12. Held In His Arms
Isaiah 51:17--52:12
Sermon
Paul W. Kummer
... the arm of the Lord cut off the Son (v. 8). When Jesus agonized and died on the cross, he went through literal hell. Not just the "hell" we say we endure in a tragedy, but actual Satan-controlled and damning hell. God "cut him off" because he cannot be tainted with the evil of hell and sin. Jesus was also "cut off" from those who are living. His outstretched arms went limp and he breathed no more. Fifth, the arm of the Lord raised him up (v. 11). This is Easter on Good Friday. After suffering our death, God ...
Sermon
Gordon Pratt Baker
... the practices, for Caiaphas took pains to promote his crass schemes when Nicodemus was absent on council business elsewhere. Nevertheless, the very fact Nicodemus was an official of the body perpetrating Caiaphas' evil deeds had led him to fear he bore the taint of its president's guilt by association. It was a sobering fear and, left to his own thoughts, Nicodemus could not shake it. Indeed, he apparently spent hours vainly agonizing over it. As a consequence he had come to the conviction he could ...
14. A Family Member · Salome
Mt 20:20-21 · Mk 15:40; 16:1-2
Sermon
Gordon Pratt Baker
... the very thought of doing so was taboo. But Salome refused to let their stance hold her back. In addition there was a serious question as to the company Salome would be keeping. For in the eyes of her neighbors she was joining a band of tainted women, defiled by the fact that somewhere in their past each had experienced a mental breakdown, the sign of demon-possession, and therefore to be avoided. But all her life Salome had accepted individuals, not for what they had been, but for what they were. So ...
Sermon
W. Robert McClelland
... sinful than those left on the steps. Indeed, those at the front door can boast impressive religious pedigrees. They are the sons and daughters of Abraham. No doubt their credentials include letters of moral recommendation. The difference is not in the taint of their lives but in their choice of doors. The great masses of those concerned with heavenly issues believe that human nature is prone to sin and disobedience, which in turn, requires large doses of contrition and confession to counteract the condition ...
Sermon
William J. Carl
... good people in their day. They were the ones with power and knowledge, the ones who were “upright, righteous, and right with God.” They knew the law and actually kept it. It’s not that they were completely sinless. Even they knew that everyone is tainted with Eden’s damage. But they kept the laws of God as closely as was humanly possible. Not only that, they actually came to church every week. They read their Bible and even went to Bible studies. And, of course, they tithed and actually kept their ...
Sermon
Thomas Slavens
... You for the hopes of the prophets which culminated in his life. For those who received him as the Messiah but supremely for him, the Word which became flesh and dwelt among us, we thank You. During Advent, cleanse us of the impurity that has tainted our lives. Forgive us for our unforgiving spirits, our reluctant services, and our hateful attitudes. During this season of the year when the world is crying, “Glory to God in the highest,” may we contribute to a world in which peace may become a reality ...
Sermon
Thomas Slavens
... You for the hopes of the prophets which culminated in his life. For those who received him as the Messiah, but supremely for him, the Word which became flesh and dwelt among us, we thank You. This Christmas, cleanse us of the impurity that has tainted our lives. Forgive us for our unforgiving spirits, our reluctant services, and our hateful attitudes. During this season of the year when the world is crying, “Glory to God in the highest,” may we contribute to a world in which peace may become a reality ...
Sermon
Larry Goodpaster
... God’s circle there is a place at the banquet. Forgiveness demands that we also include those who are otherwise forgotten and overlooked. Shall we distance ourselves and create barriers between “us” and “them” because “they” are, in our estimation, tainted? Or, shall we be church and draw near with them in love, unconditional and inclusive. The “they” may vary from community to community, but the forgiving love of Christ always includes them. If the Pharisees had bothered to pay attention ...
20. An Our Good Works And Generosity
Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24
Sermon
Mark Ellingsen
... and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret ... (Matthew 6:5-6)" Even our prayer is tainted by our quest for worldly reward or merit. How often are we inclined to tell our dear ones or acquaintances that we have prayed for them in a time of need. What really is our motive for reporting this to the one for whom we say we have prayed? Is ...
Sermon
Erskine White
... a fatal, incurable disease. Now, at a too-young age, he must come to terms with life and death, and he must learn courage in the living of whatever time he has left. Maybe you've heard of the seven-year-old boy who got AIDS through the transfusion of tainted blood. What a cross to bear! He didn't ask for that- no AIDS victim does - it was thrust upon him against his will. What a cross to bear. A young mother is left alone to raise children that the father can't be bothered with. She didn't ask ...
Sermon
Rolf E. Aaseng
... be perfected in us. An incomplete or imperfect redemption will not do. The most important fact about the future God has in store for us is that we shall be in God's presence forever. This is not possible for any person or thing that is tainted by sin. God's holiness is so thorough that it cannot stand the presence of the slightest imperfection. It must react to destroy anything unfit that ventures into the divine presence. Thus at the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai the Israelites were warned ...
23. Proper 6
Genesis 25:19-34
Sermon
... If he had, there could be no followers. Most of us can identify with one or the other of these brothers; occasionally, we might even be able to identify with both. Our part, in the whole process of growing in grace, is to recognize our lives are tainted, we are saved by God's grace alone, and - like the sons of Isaac - though we might be dominated by different kinds of sins, none of us can boast of our superior moral character. In our better moments, that realization has a beneficial effect on us, because ...
Sermon
... the story of Leah and Rachel is not merely repeated but is given new direction. Moabite blood flows in the royal lineage of David and his successors on the throne of Israel. From one point of view, the blood of Israel’s royalty was forever tainted by the blood of heathens, which Ruth contributed by conceiving and giving birth to Obed, David’s grandfather. The storyteller and the Israelite people, regarded this as an act of God. "The Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son." Perhaps this was meant ...
Sermon
... have to work with. Then, you look for the directions. You have to follow directions. You have to understand what the creator intended for the toy if you are to put the thing together as it was designed. But we live in an imperfect world - a world still tainted by the fall into original sin. This means that nothing is perfect, so some of the 4,176 pieces you need must be missing. Evidently, this is part of the ritual of assemblying toys. It’s a test of your temper and your resourcefulness when you find you ...
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