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Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

When I was in China... -- Exodus 16:2-15 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2008
When I was in China a few years ago, I asked one of our tour guides what most Chinese
Many families are experiencing financial... -- Exodus 16:2-15 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2008
Many families are experiencing financial difficulties with the downturn of the economy
Americans are now approaching a... -- Exodus 16:2-15 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2008
Americans are now approaching a 0% saving rate, meaning that we are overspending and
Betty Lou taught piano to... -- Philippians 1:21-30 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2008
Betty Lou taught piano to elementary school students for twenty years. She said her
Most people I know struggle... -- Philippians 1:21-30 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2008
Most people I know struggle to find standards for their lifestyles. As we waited for a
Do you lead a life... -- Philippians 1:21-30 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2008
Do you lead a life worthy of the gospel? Children of parents who are pastors, or have
Even when we know that... -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2008
Even when we know that the blessings that come to us have been delivered to the wrong
Life seems so unfair!br... -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2008
Life seems so unfair!
First Church had been declining... -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2008
First Church had been declining in membership and attendance for years. Twenty years
A recent website offering labor... -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2008
A recent website offering labor advice cites this scenario: A nurse was hired to work at a
Exodus 16:2-15 Some... -- Exodus 16:2-15, Philippians 1:21-30, Matthew 20:1-16 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2008
Exodus 16:2-15
Workers who were paid piecework... -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2002
Workers who were paid piecework harvested the crops grown on our family's fruit farm.
Kids are constantly shouting out... -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2002
Kids are constantly shouting out, "It's not fair!" A brother or a sister gets something and they don
I was the pastor to... -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2002
I was the pastor to a family involved only on the fringes of the church.
Muriel was in the hospital... -- Philippians 1:21-30 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2002
Muriel was in the hospital, awaiting an amputation.
For those living according to... -- Philippians 1:21-30 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2002
For those living according to the gospel, the manner of our lives is changed, so that we behave with
Why do they call Saint... -- Philippians 1:21-30 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2002
"Why do they call Saint Paul a 'saint'?" the child wanted to know. "What is a saint?"
Benjamin Franklin is the founder... -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2002
Benjamin Franklin is the founder of the first lending library.
For over three generations, since... -- Philippians 1:21-30 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 1999
For over three generations, since 1881, the Spaffords have managed the American Colony in Jerusalem.
Patrick Morley in The... -- Philippians 1:21-30 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 1999
Patrick Morley in The Man In The Mirror tells about some fishermen in a small seaplane who fi
There are experiences in the... -- Philippians 1:21-30 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 1999
There are experiences in the life of a minister that bring joy that cannot be found in any other voc
Jim was angry. His Christmas... -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 1999
Jim was angry. His Christmas bonus was the usual $2,500. Cody's bonus was also $2,500.
If the pay was the... -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 1999
If the pay was the joy and satisfaction of being a blessing, then the workers by the thousands who s
Salaries in professional sports have... -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 1999
Salaries in professional sports have skyrocketed the last twenty years so that even mediocre athlete
To feel the power of... -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 1999
To feel the power of this parable of the workers in the vineyard, it is important to put on a comple

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New & Featured This Week

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
In the sometimes-tiresome debate over science and scripture with respect to creation, it’s easy to become distracted. While the argument typically requires a focus on the how, we may lose sight of the what. And so, for just a moment, let me invite us to think for a moment about what God created.
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Acts 8:26-40
As a local church pastor, I was often asked if I would baptize a child whose family were not members of the church. Some churches rebelled against this, but I remember this scripture -the hunger for understanding and inclusion of the Eunuch and Philp’s response – to teach and share and baptize in the name of our God. How could we turn anyone away from the rite of baptism?

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Dad, I think you worked a miracle.” Rolf slowly walked around the tree. “After that windstorm, I assumed this tree was as good as gone.”

“We just needed to give the branches time to heal and come back,” Michael replied.

 “I know, but so many of them were battered and broken I figured that it couldn’t recover. Now though it looks just like it did before the storm.” Rolf paused. “Do you think it will bear any fruit this summer?”

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A live plant that produces fruit, and a broken branch from that plant. I used a tomato plant from a local greenhouse. Ideally, find a plant with blossoms or small fruit already growing. If you use a different kind of fruit-producing plant, just change the script to fit.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Elena Delhagen
Dean Feldmeyer
Quantisha Mason-Doll
For April 28, 2024:
  • On The Way To Gaza by Chris Keating based on Acts 8:26-40. On the way to Gaza, Philip discovers the startling ways the Spirit of God moves across borders, boundaries, customs, and traditions.
  • Second Thoughts: Abiding by Katy Stenta based on John 15:1-8.
  • Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Tom Willadsen, Elena Delhagen, Dean Feldmeyer.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. In our service today, let us absorb from the vine all the nourishment we need.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes our branches become cut off from the vine.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes our branches are withered.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we fail to produce good fruit.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Stan Purdum
We will meet Psalm 22 in its entirety on Good Friday, but here the lectionary designates just verses 23-31. The lectionary psalms generally illuminate the week's First Lesson, which in this case is about the covenant initiated by God with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17. The nine verses from this psalm, while not inappropriate, nonetheless leave us looking for an obvious connection with the First Lesson.

John S. Smylie
I think some people are natural-born gardeners. Our Lord grew up in a society that was familiar with agriculture. The images that he used to explain the ways of his Father in heaven are familiar to his audience. Growing up, my closest experience to agriculture was living in, "the Garden State." Most people, when they pass through New Jersey, are surprised to see that expression on the license plates of vehicles registered in New Jersey. Most folks traveling through New Jersey experience the megalopolis, the corridor between New York City and Washington DC.
Ron Lavin
A pastor in Indiana went to visit an 87-year-old man named Ermil, who was a hospital patient. A member of his church told the pastor about this old man who was an acquaintance. "He's not a believer, but he is really in need," the church member said. "I met him at the county home for the elderly. He's a lonely old man with no family and no money."

Paul E. Robinson
"Love is a many splendored thing...." Or so we heard Don Cornwall and the Four Aces sing time and again. Of course you or I might have other words to describe love, depending on our situation.

Love. "I love you." "I love to play golf." "I just love pistachio lush!" "It's tough to love some people." "Jesus loves me, this I know."

Love.

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