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Casting Out Demons Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 from the book Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit 62 Stories For Cycle B John E. Sumwalt Jo Perry-Sumwalt Mark 1:21-28 |
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There was once a deeply troubled church that could not keep any pastor for more than a year or two. Eight pastors had come and gone in eleven years, all of them at the request of the congregation after controversy with one of the long-time leaders. The church blamed the Bishop for sending them inept pastors. The pastors blamed the congregation, saying that ministry was impossible with a people so intent on self-destruction. Many members left, and, in time, no pastor could be found who was willing to serve what everyone was calling "that difficult charge."
Finally, in exasperation, the Bishop called a special meeting which included several key leaders from the troubled congregation and forty lay and clergy members of her Annual Conference, chosen randomly. She invited the leaders of the congregation to describe the difficulties they had experienced over the past several years. Then the District Superintendent was given an opportunity to tell the story from ...
This Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 story, Casting Out Demons, is based on Mark 1:21-28 and relates to Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 of Cycle B of the lectionary. This story is excerpted from the book Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit. SermonSuite offers online sermons and professionally published sermons, lectionary sermons, non-lectionary sermons, children's sermons, sermon illustrations, Stories, preaching resources, sermons on prayer, prayers, Christian drama, lectionary preaching, lectionary workbooks and homilies. ...