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John E. Sumwalt

John E. Sumwalt is a retired United Methodist pastor and the author of nine books for CSS Publishing Company, including How to Preach the Miracles and the Vision Stories series. He and his wife, Joanne Perry-Sumwalt, were the original editors of StoryShare. John is an acclaimed storyteller. He writes a weekly spiritual column for several Wisconsin newspapers.
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God Created Death? -- Genesis 1:1-2:4a -- John E. Sumwalt -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - A -- 2004
John Sumwalt
A Comforting Dream -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 2004
Harold KlugMy healing vision from God came in a dream.
Christmas Presence -- Isaiah 9:2-7 -- John E. Sumwalt -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2004
Janice Hammerquist
A Dog's Life -- Psalm 27:1, 4-9 -- John E. Sumwalt, David Michael Smith -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 2004
The phone rang at precisely 9 p.m.
Warnings -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- John E. Sumwalt -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2004
Vickie Eckoldt
Born Again -- John 3:1-17 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 2004
Kathy Raines
Is It Asking Too Much? -- Exodus 33:12-23 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A -- 2004
C. B. "Cleve" Bishop
Water Sign -- John 4:5-42 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 2004
Anne Sunday
A Dog Came For Christmas -- John 1:(1-9) 10-18 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Second Sunday after Christmas - A -- 2004
Neighbors and people from the church had come by in the weeks and months after Margaret had died, bu
The Gift Of Myself -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2004
Jim Eaton
A Doula's Prayer -- Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17 -- John E. Sumwalt, LaNette J. McQuitty -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - A -- 2004
By LaNette J. McQuitty and related by John Sumwalt.
The Wandering Eye -- Romans 8:6-11 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2004
Paul Calkin
Forsaken? -- Psalm 22 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Passion Sunday - A -- 2004
Judith B. Brain
Help In The Name Of The Lord -- Psalm 124 -- Sandra Herrmann, John E. Sumwalt -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A -- 2004
In 1972, I had the opportunity to go to the Soviet Union and get educational credit for the adventur
Wrapped In Pentecost -- 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 2004
Kate Jones
A Light To My Path -- Psalm 119:105-112 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A -- 2004
Linda Willis Harper
A Father's Love, A Mother's Good-bye -- Romans 8:12-25 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2004
R. Ellen Rasmussen
Praying: Even When You Can't -- Romans 8:26-39 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - A -- 2004
Pamela J. Tinnin
Not Left Behind -- Matthew 24:36-44 -- John E. Sumwalt -- First Sunday of Advent - A -- 2004
Late have I loved you, O beauty so ancient and so new. Late have I loved you!
Too Churchy -- Matthew 14:13-21 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2004
Paul Karrer
Coventry Story -- Isaiah 11:1-10 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Second Sunday of Advent - A -- 2004
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion
Angels In Haunted Places -- Matthew 14:22-33 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - A -- 2004
Richard H. Gentzler, Jr.
Right Here In My Church -- Luke 1:47-55 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Third Sunday of Advent - A -- 2004
April McClure Stewart
A Time To Weep -- Genesis 45:1-15 -- John E. Sumwalt -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A -- 2004
Christina Berry
Together Again -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- John E. Sumwalt -- All Saints Day - A -- 2004
Barbara Frank
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 10 | OT 15 | Pentecost 5
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 11 | OT 16 | Pentecost 6
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 12 | OT 17 | Pentecost 7
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This is a role play activity.

Note: You will need to select six children to play roles in this activity. If you have a smaller group, you might ask some older youth or even adults to play the parts of the two attackers and the man being attacked. I will give suggestions for how they can play their roles, but feel free to help your children make the story as fun and memorable as you can. I have used boys and girls in the various roles, but you can change those however you want to change them.

* * *

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
For July 13, 2025:
  • Samaritans Among Us by Dean Feldmeyer based on Acts 2:1-21. Samaritans were despised and dismissed by the original audience who first heard Jesus tell this parable. Who are the Samaritans in our lives and how does this parable apply today?
  • Second Thoughts: The Helpers by Katy Stenta based on Amos 7:7-17.

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
I say, “You are gods,
    children of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, you shall die like mortals
    and fall like any prince….”
(vv. 6-7)

There have been any number of brother-sister acts that achieved a measure of fame. Take the Carpenters, famed for their singing, musicianship, and songwriting skills. Also worthy of mention are John and Joan Cusack who have acted together in over sixteen films.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
An ancient legend tells of a remote mountain village where people used to send their senior citizens out into the woods to die. The villagers had an eye to the future; they felt that those beyond a certain age would only slow down progress or use up valuable resources to no economically profitable end. Those who reached a certain age weren’t “put out to pasture” or “put out of their misery”; they were simply put out of other people’s way.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Amos 7:7-17 and Psalm 82
The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is more than 2,700 feet high—over half a mile tall. It has 160 floors and is twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York City. It is home to the world’s fastest elevator which reaches speeds of forty miles an hour. The Burj Khalifa also hosts the world’s highest outdoor observation deck (on the 124th floor) and the world’s highest swimming pool (on the 76th floor).

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Mabel hummed a familiar hymn tune as she made her way to church. She always enjoyed her Sunday morning walk. It was one of the few times she felt safe to walk alone through the inner city, for she knew nobody would be up at 7.45 in the morning. Today was a particularly beautiful morning, with blue sky, warm sunshine, and the song of a few intrepid blackbirds who still inhabited the city.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Often, a distinction is made between the pastoral or priestly work of the church and the prophetic work. Pastoral care has to do with the care of souls, the offering of comfort in times of loss. The priestly character of pastoral work seeks to mediate the presence of God to those who are hurting.

Schuyler Rhodes
Trusting is never easy. Even in the best of relationships, people step into trust slowly. There is wariness -- questioning -- worry. What happens if trust is betrayed? What if this doesn't work? Sometimes it's like a dance. We step in and out of trust, moving to the rhythms of fear. For many, the routine is achingly familiar. Indeed, it's not easy to trust.
John Jamison
It was back in the days when the railroad was the most common mode of transportation. There were automobiles, and some airplanes, but the steam locomotive was the way most folks traveled and the way that most of the goods were distributed around the country. After dinner, people sat in the drawing room and listened to the radio programs, fading in and out from some faraway location, over the magical broadcasting signal.
Robert Leslie Holmes
Not many tourists to Washington, D.C., look for the Federal Bureau of Standards offices. It's the Capitol and the White House, the Supreme Court Building or the Smithsonian most of us want to see when we go there. Yet, at the Bureau of Standards offices something very important is stored, something that impacts your life and mine every single day. Have you ever bought the materials for a new project? When you did, most likely you purchased so many inches or feet or yards. Or, you stopped to buy gasoline for your car and purchased it at a certain price per gallon.
David O. Bales
I have the two best jobs in the world. I teach social studies at Leon Griffith Junior High School (a fairly small junior high) and I am Sunday School Superintendent at Calvary Presbyterian Church (an enormous church school). Each job is my vocation. I tell people that at school they'll find my room where the halls cross. At church they can look but probably won't find me. I'll be in someone's classroom. At each job I practice what I most deeply believe: it's how you see the world that determines how you respond to it. I'll give you an example, actually, two examples.
Erskine White
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed,
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
(Stuart K. Hine)

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