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Channels Of God's Love -- Psalm 23, Psalm 27:1-6, Luke 5:12-26, Romans 8:31-39 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
People who attend funerals in situations such as this often have a lot of unasked questions.
The God Of The Past, The Present, And The Future -- Genesis 15:12-15, Psalm 23, Revelation 22:1-5 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
I had an old friend once who told me, "When I go to a funeral I go to hear about a loving God." And
An Overwhelming Promise -- Jeremiah 31:31-33, Isaiah 55:6-13, Hebrews 9:24-28 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
Sometimes the sweep and power of God’s promises in the Bible almost overwhelm me.
The Bread Of Life -- Psalm 121, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Exodus 16:2-4, John 6:25-35 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
There are certain people in every church who have a special love for the Lord’s supper.
The Promise Of 'I AM' -- Exodus 4:7-15, John 2:1-11, John 11:20-27 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
For many people, the gospel according to John is at the heart of the whole Bible.
'Rock Of Ages. Cleft For Me' -- Exodus 17:1-7, Psalm 2, Colossians 1:11-20 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
A lot of times I don’t really listen to the songs we sing in worship.
'How Great Thou Art' -- Isaiah 40:21-31, Romans 5:6-11, Matthew 24:36-44 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
The depth and power of some of the great Christian hymns amazes me.
'On A Hill Far Away' -- Deuteronomy 26:5-11, Psalm 78:12-16, Hebrews 9:24-28 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
Our faith is a paradoxical thing, isn’t it? In Jesus, God turns our world upside down.
Our Dwelling Place In All Generations -- Psalm 90 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
One thing I always try to do is make my funeral sermon fit the person whom I’ve come to bury.
Praise God! -- Psalm 150 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
The Bible is so realistic.
The Promised Land -- Psalm 86:1-13, 1 Peter 1:3-9, Luke 9:28-36 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
Some people suffer more effectively than others.
In The Valley -- Psalm 23, Psalm 94, Revelation 7:13-17 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
Sometimes we need the refuge of familiar Scripture.
The Cross And The Resurrection -- Psalm 27, Mark 15:33-39, Revelation 21:1-4 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
Sometimes I find it hard to understand why good people have to suffer, and sometimes I find myself s
Channels Of God's Love -- Psalm 23, Psalm 27:1-6, Luke 5:12-26, Romans 8:31-39 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
People who attend funerals in situations such as this often have a lot of unasked questions.
A Real Test Of Fait -- Isaiah 53:2-6, Job 19:23-27, Romans 5:1-11 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
This task is literally a real test of faith.
A Compassionate Friend -- Psalm 22:1-11, Philippians 2:5-8 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
Of all the funeral sermons I’ve ever preached, I guess this is the hardest.
The Heart Of The Gospel -- Psalm 16, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
It always humbles me to know that the earliest of Paul’s letters deals with the ministry.
A Message At Christmas -- Deuteronomy 6:20-25 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
How do you start a funeral sermon in the Christmas season?
God Can Change The Past -- Psalm 22:1-8, 14-31, Isaiah 42:1-4, Luke 24:1-9, Revelation 7:13-17 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
It always amazes me to think that God can change the past.
Signs Of Glory -- Exodus 4:13-14, John 6:22-40, John 11:20-27 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
Sometimes it seems that even Jesus is not enough.
God The Creator -- Genesis 1:1-5, John 1:1-5 -- Joe Barone -- 1995
God does not cause suffering and death. Sometimes it seems that way.
The Conclusion Of The Message -- Isaiah 25:6-9 -- Mark P. Zacher, Anthology -- 1994
The funeral was held on June 18th and so the opening illustration was especially appropriate.
When The Boat Keeps Rocking -- Psalm 46 -- Robert A. Noblett, Anthology -- 1994
On a fourth of July weekend when I was a fairly young man, a friend of my father's invited a friend
Playing In The Streets -- Mark 10:13-16, Zechariah 8:3-5 -- James W. Weis, Anthology -- 1994
Thus says the Lord: ''I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem sha
In Stride -- Isaiah 65:17-25, Romans 8:35-39 -- Ruth L. Boling, Anthology -- 1994
We have come today to celebrate the life of ____________; beloved son, grandson, brother, and friend

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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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