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John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt

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Don't Be Afraid -- John 6:19b-20 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - B
Contents A Story to Live By: "Don't Be Afraid"
Who Is In Favor Of Child Sacrifice? -- Matthew 10:40-42, Romans 6:12-23, Genesis 22:1-14, Psalm 13 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - A
Contents What's Up This Week
God Gives Me Weeds -- Psalm 111: 4-6 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B
ContentsSharing Visions: "God Gives Me Weeds" by Laura Hoff
Another Reformed Short Guy -- Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18, Ephesians 1:11-23, Luke 6:20-31, Psalm 149 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - C
Contents What's Up This Week
Grandma's Angel -- Job 42:1-6, 10-17, Hebrews 7:23-28, Mark 10:46-52 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - B
Contents
The Shadow Knows -- Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30, Romans 7:15-25a, Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67, Psalm 45:10-17 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - A
Contents What's Up This Week A Story to Live By: "How to Carry Heavy Burdens"
No One Is Lost -- Psalm 147:2b-3 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - B
ContentsSharing Visions: "No One Is Lost" by Keith R. Eytcheson, Sr
A Word Of Comfort -- Lamentations 1:1-6, 2 Timothy 1:1-14, Luke 17:5-10, Psalm 137 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C
Contents What's Up This Week: "A Word of Comfort"
Presidential Pardon -- Mark 6:11 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B
Edited by John Sumwalt and Jo Perry-SumwaltContents
If You Have Ears To Hear -- Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, Romans 8:1-11, Genesis 25:19-34, Psalm 119:105-112 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A
Contents What's Up This Week A Story to Live By: "What Goes Around..."
A Healing Presence -- Mark 1:40-41 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B
ContentsSharing Visions: "A Healing Presence" by Lynette Metz
A Source Of Comfort -- Psalm 41:8, 10a -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - B
ContentsSharing Stories: "A Source of Comfort" by Kendall W. Anderson
The Thanks You Get -- Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Luke 17:11-19, Psalm 66:1-12 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Contents What's Up This Week A Story to Live By: "The Thanks You Get"
My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation -- Luke 2:29a -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - B
Contents Sharing Visions, "My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation," by Mary Downing
Spirit Of Adoption -- Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, Romans 8:12-25, Genesis 28:10-19a, Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A
Contents What's Up This Week A Story to Live By: "Spirit of Adoption"
Consolation -- Jeremiah 31:9a, John 1:14 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Second Sunday after Christmas - B
ContentsSharing Visions, "Consolation" by Lori Hetzel
Two Stories Of Freedom -- Isaiah 65:17-25, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Luke 21:5-19, Isaiah 12 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - C
Contents What's Up This Week
I Shall Always Be Near You -- Ruth 1:1-18, Hebrews 9:11-14, Psalm 146 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - B
Contents A Story to Live By: "I Shall Always Be Near You"
Learning How To Pray -- Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52, Romans 8:26-39, Genesis 29:15-28, Psalm 105:1-11, 45b -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - A
Contents What's Up This Week A Story to Live By: "A Time to Deceive"
Blessed At The Core -- Mark 4:10 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B
ContentsSharing Visions, "Blessed at the Core" by Manda R. Stack
Jesus Is Counting On Us -- Jeremiah 23:1-6, Luke 1:68-79, Colossians 1:11-20 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - C
StoryShare Edited by John Sumwalt and Jo Perry-Sumwalt
God Will Meet Our Needs -- Ruth 3:1-5, 13-17, Hebrews 9:24-28, Mark 12:38-44 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - B
A Note from John
Those Who Seek Refuge -- Matthew 14:13-21, Romans 9:1-5, Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 17:1-7, 15 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A
Contents What's Up This Week
The Call Of God -- 1 Samuel 3:10 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - B
ContentsSharing Visions: "The Call of God" by Bill Dow
An Awakening -- Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44, Psalm 122 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- First Sunday of Advent - A
StoryShare Edited by John Sumwalt and Jo Perry-Sumwalt
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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