New & Featured This Week
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Children's sermon, Illustration, Preaching, Sermon, Worship
Nazish Naseem
Katy Stenta
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
Mary Austin
George ReedFor May 10, 2026:- When the Unknown God Comes Near: From Athens to the Promise of the Advocate by Nazish Naseem based on Acts 17:22-31.
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Stories
John Fitzgerald
Contents
"Reason for Hope" by John Fitzgerald
Reason for Hope
by John Fitzgerald
1 Peter 3:13-22
Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the classic Little House on the Prairie series neared an end to her
life. At this juncture she penned an essay about hope in face of the constant current of change. Here is... -
Commentary
Mark Ellingsen
The lessons for the Sixth Sunday of Easter direct us to sermons on the great things God’s love does, appreciating in two cases this love’s cosmic character (especially leading to a stress on justification by grace). This is an appropriate theme with the festival of the Ascension in view, which celebrates Christ’s almighty power and cosmic vindication.
Acts 17:22-31... -
Intercession
Janice B. Scott
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:
The Church of Christ
Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority
The local community
Those who suffer
The communion of saints
These responses may be used:
Lord, in your... -
Stories
Frank Ramirez
Peter Andrew SmithContents
What's Up This Week
"Always Be Ready" by Frank Ramirez
"Looking for God" by Peter Andrew Smith
"A Gentle Profession" by Peter Andrew Smith
What's Up This Week
Actions, as they say, speak louder than words. Our actions carry much more weight than our words, and it is by our actions that we are ultimately judged. In "Always Be... -
Preaching
Elizabeth Achtemeier
There is a strange belief abroad in our land at the present time, the belief that we cannot know God. Such a belief rises partly from a feeling of awe before the divine -- the feeling that God is so unfathomable, so other, so beyond our feeble understanding that we cannot possibly experience who he truly is in all of his fullness and perfection. And perhaps that is the reason that the Athenians... -
Preaching
Stan Purdum
(See Proper 23/Pentecost 21/Ordinary Time 28, Cycle C, for an alternative approach to vv. 1-12.)
Psalm 66 is a song of communal thanksgiving, probably composed to celebrate some national deliverance. Because of the personal language of verses 13-20, there is some speculation that this psalm was originally two hymns, but as it stands, it contains a combination of corporate and... -
Preaching
Russell F. Anderson
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Acts 17:22--31 (C, E, L)
Peter alters his approach in an attempt to reach the cultured pagans of Athens by correlating the gospel to the cultural context. Later, in 1 Corinthians, we see that he repudiates this approach in favor of presenting an unvarnished version of the gospel. Rather than quote scriptures, he quotes pagan poets. He... -
Sermon
Schuyler Rhodes
Are you one of those people who always has a backup plan? Do you make your commitments and focus your energies on one thing, but have an alternative in mind just in case things don't work out with the first one? You might call it "Plan B" or something else, but basically you're hedging your bets and covering yourself in case the situation goes south.
It's not really a bad idea.... -
Sermon
Richard E. Gribble, CSC
When Charlie Atlas was a teenager his parents purchased for him a dresser mirror that he placed in his bedroom. Before this, whenever Charlie needed to use a mirror, he went to the bathroom, but there he was only able to see his head and possibly his shoulders. When he got dressed up he used his parents' full-length mirror in their bedroom. Charlie was happy with his new mirror; he spent many... -
Sermon
Mark Ellingsen
Jesus was still in the middle of his farewell discourse to his disciples. He was trying to comfort the despair that they were feeling when they had first heard the news (during the last supper) that Jesus would be leaving them (John 13:21, 33; 14:1). He had comforted them with the good news that he was on the way to God the Father, that in associating with Jesus, the disciples had been in... -
Sermon
Albert G. Butzer, III
Here are two statements about the world. Tell me if both of them ring true for you. The first of them is this: "The world is a beautiful place." And the second statement is this: "The world is a terrible and dangerous place." Both statements are true - don't you agree? - and yet, ironically, they seem to say the exact opposite thing. How much easier it would be to affirm one statement or the... -
Sermon
Richard E. Gribble, CSC
The name Robert Stroud is not one commonly heard in ordinary conversation, but this man's contribution to humanity will live on in the minds of many under a different title, "The Birdman of Alcatraz." By nature, Robert Stroud was not a congenial man. As a youth he was always getting into fights, disagreements, and various altercations. When he was only nineteen he killed a man in a barroom brawl... -
Sermon
Richard W. Ferris
In a large stone cathedral in Europe there was a grand, magnificent pipe organ. On a particular Saturday afternoon, the sexton was making one final check of the choir and organ loft high in the balcony at the back of the church. As he was making his inspection, he was startled to hear footsteps echoing up the stone stairway behind him. He thought the doors were all locked and that no one else was... -
Worship
Dallas A. Brauninger
First Lesson: Acts 17:22-31
Theme: To A Known God
Call To Worship
Leader: God is a known God who continually gives us evidence of presence.
People: God is a knowable God who extends to us the hand of hope.
All: Come, let us worship God. Amen.
Collect
In the dauntless first spring flowering of snowdrop and crocus, you have shown yourself. We... -
Worship
Beverly S. Bailey
Hymns
Our Cities Cry To You, O God (PH437)
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (PH376, UM384, LBW315, NCH43)
Holy Spirit, Truth Divine (PH321, UM465)
There's A Sweet, Sweet Spirit (PH398, UM334)
Thy Holy Wings, O Savior (UM502)
Come Down, O Love Divine (LBW508, NCH289, PH313)
O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee (... -
Commentary
William H. Shepherd
Schuyler RhodesIn Garret Kreizer's novel, God of Beer (2002), the high school social studies teacher tells the class about Gandhi's assertion that if God ever came to India, he'd have to come as bread, in order to get the attention of the starving peasants. The teacher then asks the class what form God would have to take in order to get the attention of their high school. "Beer," says one student. "Yeah... -
Children's sermon
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you know your grandfather and grandmother? (let them answer) How many of you know your mother's or father's grandmother? (let them answer) Is there anyone here who knows your grandparents' grandmother or grandfather? They would be over a hundred years old! (let them answer)
Not many of us know our great-grandparents but... -
Children's sermon
Good morning! Does anyone remember the name of the season right before Easter? We finished it a few weeks ago. (see if anyone remembers) Lent! That's right! During Lent we spent our time getting ready for the season of Easter. Now it's time to get ready for the next season -- the season that comes after Easter. The next season begins in two weeks, but today's lesson is getting us ready for it.... -
Children's sermon
Hi there, boys and girls! How many of you have rules that you have to follow at home? (show of hands) What are some of the rules you have? (let them tell you) What about at school? Do you have rules there? What are they? (let them tell you)
Why should we even have rules? (see what they think) I think we have rules because it makes it easier for us to be together. If we are all kind...
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