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John W. Clarke

John W. Clarke is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ who currently pastors First Congregational Church in Meriden, Connecticut. He is the author of What Good Is Christianity Anyhow?, A Quest for Silence, The View From the Cross, and Toward A Hope-Filled Life. Clarke is a graduate of Bangor Theological Seminary and Providence Theological Seminary (Otterburn, Manitoba, Canada).
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Bible Study

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Let’s Get Down To Basics -- John W. Clarke -- 2008
Hope has the potential of making all of us stronger and better focused.
Hope: How Is It Lived -- How Is It Visible? -- John W. Clarke -- 2008
For most people, the real impact of hope becomes visible when life decides to throw us a set of circ
Hope: An Expectation Of Something Yet To Be -- John W. Clarke -- 2008
Hope, as it has been pointed out, is in many ways the expectation that there is something yet to hap
Hope That Is Radical -- John W. Clarke -- 2008
When a Christian is asked, "Is hope real?" the answer should be apparent, but is it?
Our Hope Is A Forever Thing! -- John W. Clarke -- 2008
A little girl lived near a cemetery and often had to walk through it after dark.
Hope And The Power Of God's Presence -- John W. Clarke -- 2008
We must all come to terms with the reality that we can never understand the meaning of hope if that
Hopeful Understanding -- John W. Clarke -- 2008
Every time our human will trumps our need to discover God's will, we are in trouble.
Hope: Jesus -- And God's Loving Concern -- John W. Clarke -- 2008
We have established that hope goes hand in hand with a sense of knowing oneself.
Living Between Now And Not Yet -- John W. Clarke -- 2008
Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted.
Preserving The Hope-Filled Life -- John W. Clarke -- 2008
For I can do everything with the hope of Christ who gives me the strength I need.

Sermon

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From the Courtroom to the Cross -- A King's Journey -- John 18:1--19:42 -- John W. Clarke -- Good Friday - B -- 2011
John records more details of the crucial events of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus than any other
Jesus and John at the Jordan -- Mark 1:9-15 -- John W. Clarke -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2011
Beginning in verse 9 Mark goes out of his way to communicate that Jesus quite literally went out of
Cleaning the Temple -- Cleansing Our Lives -- John 2:13-22 -- John W. Clarke -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 2011
Having heard the gospel this morning let me introduce a word from Paul when he said to the church in
Should We Doubt Thomas? -- John 20:19-31 -- John W. Clarke -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2011
John's gospel has traced the development of unbelief, which culminated in Jesus' enemies crucifying
A Time Between Time -- John 17:6-19 -- John W. Clarke -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - B -- 2011
Today is the last in the season of Eastertide.
Reflections of a Healthy Church -- Luke 24:44-53 -- John W. Clarke -- Ascension of the Lord - B -- 2011
Ascension Day is a good time for the Christian community to assess where it has been and where it is
Spiritual Discipline -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- John W. Clarke -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2011
"Ashes, ashes, we all fall down," that refrain from a children's song says much in terms of the way
God's Love and You -- John 3:14-21 -- John W. Clarke -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - B -- 2011
Let's begin this Fourth Sunday in Lent with our gospel reading for today.
A View from the Cross -- Mark 14:1--15:47 -- John W. Clarke -- Passion Sunday - B -- 2011
In our text this morning we went to the place where Jesus Christ was crucified.
The Perfect Example to Follow -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- John W. Clarke -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2011
As is often the case, John's gospel reports more of the contents of Jesus' instructions to his disci
The Gardens of Life -- John 20:1-18 -- John W. Clarke -- Easter Day - B -- 2011
I look forward to spring and I guess that we all do especially when we have had a hard winter.
What Is the Point? -- Luke 24:36b-48 -- John W. Clarke -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2011
What is the purpose of the church? Why was it established?
The Shepherd of Love -- John 10:11-18 -- John W. Clarke -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2011
As we continue our Easter journey, we are presented with an image that has stood the test of time.
Are We Withering on the Vine? -- John 15:1-8 -- John W. Clarke -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2011
Jesus made pronouncement statements in John's gospel.
Living a Joyful Life -- John 15:9-17 -- John W. Clarke -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2011
Throughout this Easter season we have talked about the importance of staying connected to Jesus even
Life Lived in Glory -- John 12:20-33 -- John W. Clarke -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B -- 2011
Today our Lenten journey takes us to a festival and attending the festival are some Greeks.
Expectations and a Cross -- Mark 8:31-38 -- John W. Clarke -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2011
These verses from Mark's gospel are a call to commitment, a call to sacrifice, and a call to give up
Gratitude -- A State Of Mind -- Luke 17:11-19 -- John W. Clarke -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2006
Today's Gospel Reading reminds us once again that Jesus' journey has a destination.
Lean On Me -- Luke 18:1-8 -- John W. Clarke -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - C -- 2006
One of the tangible benefits of reading the Bible is that we discover that God calls people to servi
Prayer -- What's In It For You? -- Luke 18:9-14 -- John W. Clarke -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - C -- 2006
The Gospel Lesson for this day is the familiar story about the tax collector and the Pharisee.
A Tax Collector Becomes Rich -- Luke 19:1-10 -- John W. Clarke -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - C -- 2006
This chapter of Luke brings us ever closer to the end of Jesus' public ministry.
Putting Eternity To The Test -- Luke 20:27-38 -- John W. Clarke -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C -- 2006
Today's Gospel Lesson is one that is troubling if you care about fairness.

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The Perfect Example to Follow -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- John W. Clarke -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2011
As is often the case, John's gospel reports more of the contents of Jesus' instructions to his disci
Are We Withering on the Vine? -- John 15:1-8 -- John W. Clarke -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2011
Jesus made pronouncement statements in John's gospel.
Reflections of a Healthy Church -- Luke 24:44-53 -- John W. Clarke -- Ascension of the Lord - B -- 2011
Ascension Day is a good time for the Christian community to assess where it has been and where it is
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 23 | OT 28 | Pentecost 18
30 – Sermons
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30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
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Proper 24 | OT 29 | Pentecost 19
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 25 | OT 30 | Pentecost 20
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...

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Jesus told us that we should always pray and not lose heart, for God is on our side. In our worship today let us pray to the Lord for the needs of others and for all our own needs.


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Jesus, sometimes you don't seem to be there when I pray and I feel like I'm talking to myself.

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John W. Clarke
Our reading today from the prophet Jeremiah is one in which the Hebrew people, not knowing what else to do in terms of addressing their predicament, decide to blame it all on God. They believed their problems to be the result of their sins and the sins of their fathers. Of course, one person's sin does indeed affect other people, but all people are still held personally accountable for the sin in their own lives (Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:2).
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The Unjust Judge was nagged by a widow, however, who had every right to nag, because she had been cheated by somebody in the community. A good judge would have helped the widow, but remember, this judge "neither feared God nor had respect for people."

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And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? (v. 7)

Good morning, boys and girls. Yesterday, I was riding in my car and I kept hearing this noise. I call it a squeak. Do you know what a squeak sounds like? (let them answer) Squeaks are very annoying. It is hard to find a squeak in your car, so it is still squeaking.

I also have a chair that has a squeak and I brought it in with me today because it is

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