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Arthur H. Kolsti

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Day of Pentecost -- Acts 2:1-21, Ezekiel 37:1-14 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 1996
Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lor
The Strange Tactics Of God -- 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 1996
Some of you will remember Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark, a film released several ye
A Habitat For Humanity -- 2 Samuel 7:1-14a -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 1996
The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live i
Here Is Where It Happens -- 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20) -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - B -- 1996
Here is where it happens. Where is here? Here is right here, among us.
When Saints Go Marching Forth -- 1 Samuel 15:34--16:13 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - B -- 1996
Sometimes when reading you come across words that just leap off the page and grab you.
Acquaintances Or Friends? -- 1 Samuel 17:57--18:5, 10-16 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 1996
Let's begin by thinking about the difference between an acquaintance and a friend.
Lyrics For The Centuries -- 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - B -- 1996
When David received the report of the battlefield deaths of Saul and Jonathan, he expressed his sorr
Another Kind Of Success -- 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 1996
Rags-to-riches stories have been popular in every time and place.
R.S.V.P. -- Isaiah 6:1-8 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 1996
Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?-- Isaiah 6:8b
Saul, The Tormented King -- 1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15) -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - B -- 1996
He was like a meteor.
The Running Man -- Mark 10:17-30 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 1993
"And as he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him ..." There is an intensit
Where Do We Stand? -- John 18:33-37 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 1993
This is the last Sunday of the church year.
Good Powers Wonderfully Hidden -- Matthew 6:25-33 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Thanksgiving Day - B -- 1993
Our gospel lesson is part of the Sermon on the Mount.
No Short Cuts To Glory -- Mark 10:35-45 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 1993
The disciples were not good listeners. But then, neither are we.
Seeing And Not Seeing -- Mark 10:46-52 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - B -- 1993
Think about your eyes. What mysterious, wonderful instruments they are.
Less Important Does Not Mean Unimportant -- Mark 12:28-34 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - B -- 1993
This meeting between Jesus and the unnamed scribe recounted in the gospel lesson for today catches o
Dwarfed By Comparison -- Mark 12:38-44 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - B -- 1993
Mark is fond of drawing comparisons as he tells the story of Jesus.
Living Between Beginnings -- Mark 13:1-13 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1993
The 13th chapter of Mark's gospel is positioned by him to serve as the last discourse of Jesus with
Caught By The Hook -- John 8:31-36 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- 1993
This is Reformation Sunday and it is fitting that we start with a quote from Martin Luther.
Will Someone Please Notice Martha? -- John 11:32-44 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- All Saints Day - B -- 1993
Martha is an overlooked and underrated saint.
Spectators Or Sentinels? -- Mark 13:24-32 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1993
The gospel reading for this day is bracketed by the command to keep alert, to watch.
It's Time To Rediscover The Beatitudes -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Arthur H. Kolsti -- All Saints Day - B -- 1993
The committee responsible for the wording of the New Revised Standard Version did not replace the fa
A Time For Thanksgiving -- Mark 15:21 -- Anthology, Arthur H. Kolsti -- 1989
This meditation was delivered at a memorial service for a young man of nineteen whose death was caus
God Has a Purpose Death Where Divorce Has Intruded -- Matthew 1 -- Arthur H. Kolsti, Anthology -- 1989
We can expect an increasing number of services involving families whose relationships have been stai
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“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.”

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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.

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

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The Village Shepherd

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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.


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

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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.
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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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