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John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt

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Ole And Clarence -- Jeremiah 18:1-11, Philemon 1:1-21, Luke 14:25-33, Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - C
Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider wh
Visitation Dreams -- 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14, Ephesians 5:15-20, John 6:51-58, Psalm 111 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B
Contents
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
Arrogance -- Joel 2:23-32, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18, Luke 18:9-14, Psalm 65 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - C
Contents What's Up This Week
Saying Grace -- John 6:31-34 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - B
Contents A Story to Live By: "Saying Grace"
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
The Ex-Tither -- Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15, 1 Timothy 6:6-19, Luke 16:19-31, Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C
So Much Need...
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"
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
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
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"
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
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
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"
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
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
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
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
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
UPCOMING WEEKS
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Easter 6
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110+ – Illustrations / Stories
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4 – Pastor's Devotions
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New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
George Reed
Bethany Peerbolte
For May 9, 2021:
  • One Nation Under God? by Tom Willadsen — What would the United States look like if we truly were “one nation under God?” What would it be like to live in a place where everyone was treated as one who has been “born of God?”
  • Dying Is Easy by Dean Feldmeyer — Dying is easy; living the gospel is hard.

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Frank Ramirez
Contents
“Waking Up to Racism” by John Sumwalt
“Twists and Turns” by Frank Ramirez

 
Waking Up to Racism
by John Sumwalt
Psalm 98

Let the floods clap their hands;
    let the hills sing together for joy
 at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming
    to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
    and the peoples with equity. (vv. 8-9)

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
In the mid-1960s, a popular song declared, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of.”1 It was an era of both national and international unrest. And the American landscape was reeling from the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and opposition to both. Amidst headlines so marked by unrest and division, therefore, the sentiment of the song struck a chord with an American audience. 
Bill Thomas
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Acts 10:44-48
Prejudice is always wrong. Nat King Cole is a well-known artist who was the first African American to host his own national television program. In 1948, he purchased a beautiful home in an exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood. When the local neighborhood association confronted him and informed him it didn’t want any undesirables to move in, Cole responded, “Neither do I. If I see any coming in here, I’ll be the first to complain.” He lived in that house until his death in 1965.

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John Jamison
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (vv. 9-12)

Hi, everyone! (Let them respond.)

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus gave up his life for us. In our worship today let us explore how to love one another as he has loved us.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes our love for each other is thin and pale.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we pretend to love but fail to care.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we don't know how to love.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

John E. Sumwalt
Jo Perry-sumwalt
One evening, when I was 26 years old, beleagered by guilt for acknowledged sins, I was deep into an hour-long prayer of repentance. In despair, I grieved that I had broken the commandments and that I was not worthy of God's love.

Near me lay the Bible, unused and unfamiliar. I had never, ever read from the Bible. Yet my hands reached out and took the Bible to open it. I knew not where, nor why. But my hands knew the way. They opened to John 15:9-11 and as my eyes began to read, my mind knew the meaning with clarity. My eyes read verse 10 first:
Mark Ellingsen
Theme of the Day
God's love brings us together.

Collect of the Day
It is noted that God has prepared great joy for those who love Him. Petitions are then offered that such love may be poured into the hearts of the faithful so that they may obtain these promises. Justification as a reward for our deeds (love) is communicated by this prayer.

Psalm of the Day
Psalm 98
Stan Purdum
(See Christmas Day, Cycles A and B, for alternative approaches.)

Richard E. Gribble
Once upon a time a great and powerful king ruled over a vast territory. There was something very strange about this kingdom, however -- everything was the same. The people ate the same food, drank the same drink, wore the same clothes, and lived in the same type of homes. The people even did all the same work. There was another oddity about this place. Everything was gray -- the food, the drink, the clothes, the houses; there were no other colors.

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