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John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt

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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
Thanksgiving Communion -- 2 Samuel 23:1-7, Revelation 1:4b-8, John 18:33-37 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Thanksgiving Day - B
Contents A Story to Live By: "Thanksgiving Communion"
Christmas Absence -- Titus 2:11-14, Isaiah 9:2-7, Luke 2:1-20, Psalm 96 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- The Nativity of our Lord - A
Contents A Story to Live By: "
A Call To Ministry -- Mark 1:16-18 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B
ContentsSharing Visions: "A Call to Ministry" by Nancy Nichols
Baptism Of Repentance -- Isaiah 11:1-10, Romans 15:4-13, Matthew 3:1-12, Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Second Sunday of Advent - A
Contents What's Up This Week A Story to Live By: "Baptism of Repentance"
Atonement -- 1 Samuel 1:4-20, Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25, Mark 13:1-8, Psalm 113 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B
Contents A Story to Live By: "Atonement"
Reason To Doubt -- Acts 2:14a, 22-32, 1 Peter 1:3-9, John 20:19-31, Psalm 16 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Second Sunday of Easter - A
Contents What's Up This Week A Story to Live By: "Reason to Doubt"
Faithfulness -- Psalm 24:3-4a -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B
ContentsA Story to Live By: "Faithfulness"
A Prison Called Unforgiveness -- Isaiah 35:1-10, Luke 1:46b-55, James 5:7-10 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Third Sunday of Advent - A
Contents What's Up This Week
To Bind Up The Brokenhearted -- Isaiah 61:1-3b -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Third Sunday of Advent - B
Sharing Visions: "To Bind Up the Brokenhearted" by Roy Nelson
With Advocates Like This... -- Acts 17:22-31, John 14:15-21, 1 Peter 3:13-22, Psalm 66:8-20 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - A
Contents What's Up This Week
Like Sheep With A Shepherd -- Mark 6:34 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B
ContentsA Story to Live By: "Like Sheep with a Shepherd"
God's Filling Me -- Isaiah 63:7-9, Hebrews 2:10-18, Matthew 2:13-23, Psalm 148 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
StoryShare Edited by John Sumwalt and Jo Perry-Sumwalt
A Dishonest Painter -- Proverbs 31:10-31, Psalm 1, James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a, Mark 9:30-37 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B
Contents Post-9/11 Comfort
A Fist And A Kiss -- 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33, Ephesians 4:25--5:2, 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33, Psalm 130 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - B
Contents
Stand Firm -- Luke 13:31-35, Philippians 3:17--4:1, Luke 13:31-35, Psalm 27 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Second Sunday in Lent - C
A Story To Live By Stand Firm
Picture Of Peace -- Acts 9:36-43, John 10:22-30, Revelation 7:9-17, Psalm 23 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
A Story to Live By Picture of Peace
Come Over And Help -- Acts 16:9-15, Acts 16:9-15, Psalm 67 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - C
A Story to Live By Come Over and Help
The Kiss -- 1 Kings 21:1-21a, Galatians 2:15-21, Luke 7:36--8:3, Psalm 5:1-8 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - C
A Story to Live By The Kiss
The Voice Of The Broken Branch -- Mark 13:28-29 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- First Sunday of Advent - B
Contents
Faith Like A Lion -- Isaiah 5:1-7, Hebrews 11:29--12:2, Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C
And what more should I say?
Cameron's Story -- Isaiah 40:5 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Cameron's Story by Todd Chrisler (as told to John Sumwalt)
Keep Sharp -- Jeremiah 31:27-34, Luke 18:1-8, 2 Timothy 3:14--4:5, Psalm 119:97-104 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - C
Contents What's Up This Week A Story to Live By: "Keep Sharp"
Dead Duck -- Haggai 1:15b-2:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17, Luke 20:27-38, Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21 -- John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
Contents What's Up This Week A Story to Live By: "Dead Duck"
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 7 | OT 12 | Pentecost 2
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 8 | OT 13 | Pentecost 3
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 9 | OT 14 | Pentecost 4
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

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Katy Stenta
George Reed
For July 6, 2025:

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This is a role play activity for the children.

Note: You will need an older volunteer to help with this activity. One option would be to find a teenager with some physical ability. If a teen is not available, an adult could be used instead. For simplicity here, I will refer to my older volunteer as “TOM”. You will also need to select three of your younger children to serve as volunteers in the story.

* * *

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
2 Kings 5:1-14
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
Bonnie Bates
2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30
Naaman seeks healing. He travels hoping healing will come to him when he visits the king of Israel. Yet, healing does not come in that way. Rather healing comes through Elishah. Healing comes from believing and being cleansed in the River Jordan. Healing comes through Naaman’s faithfulness and through God’s grace. Psalm 30 also reminds us to seek healing; to seek God and God will heal and restore us. Do we believe that? Do we believe that God can bring healing?

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ (vv. 10-11)

When I visit your church for the first time, consider the possibility that I might be looking for a church home. I am a good-looking old guy, but I have gray hair and I dress down in the summer, so don’t be put off by my cargo shorts and tank top. Talk to me!

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Damien and Ora grinned at each other in excitement. The time had come - at last! They'd been with the Leader for months and months, waiting for this moment. Not that it had felt much like training. They'd simply lived with the Leader, listening to his stories, hearing about the Kingdom, learning to get along really well with all the other people at Mission Headquarters. Now all seventy of them were ready, the spaceship had docked, and the Mission was about to begin. Ora was glad she'd been paired up with Damien again.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Stan Purdum
Carlos Wilton
(See Epiphany 6/Ordinary Time 6, Cycle B, and Easter 3, Cycle C, for alternative approaches.)

Anyone who has ever had the experience of losing a friend because of some conflict or dispute, and then has had the friendship restored because of love and forgiveness, has a unique insight into the meaning of this psalm. Although the poem begins and ends with praise, there is in the middle of the poem a brief moment of confession and contrition that puts the praise portions of the psalm in an entirely different light.

April Yamasaki
A word of encouragement came from an unlikely source the other day in a television interview with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The former football player, wrestler, and now actor was asked about a low time in his life when he was very discouraged about his career and future.

"How did you make your way back from that?" he was asked.

The Rock replied, "You have to put yourself out there. You have to get out there and fail, and learn from your failures."

Larry D. Powell
In the summer of 1983, I participated in a ministerial exchange program sponsored by my denomination. My assignment was to a circuit of churches on the Isle of Man, a tiny island located in the Irish Sea. The months preceding the exchange included considerable correspondence with the minister on the island with whom I would exchange pastoral duties for six weeks.
Richard E. Gribble, CSC
A wealthy businessman decided to take a walk and eat his lunch at the same time. He strolled by a park. There he purchased a hot dog and a soft drink. As he walked through the park two different "street people" approached him one by one. Each asked, "Can you help me? I am hungry." Each time the businessman looked straight ahead and kept walking. After finishing his lunch, he stopped and bought a chocolate eclair for dessert. As he was about to take the first bite, he was forced to jump out of the way as a young boy raced by on his skateboard. The eclair went flying and landed on the ground.

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