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Leah Thompson

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Children's Activity

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The least of these -- Matthew 25:31-46 -- Leah Thompson -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2010
SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME
Who I am -- John 10:22-30 -- Leah Thompson -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2010
SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME
Pure in heart -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 2010
SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME
The Christian uniform -- John 13:31-35 -- Leah Thompson -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2010
SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME
Keep the word -- John 14:23-29 -- Leah Thompson -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2010
SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME
Whodunit? -- Luke 24:44-53 -- Leah Thompson -- Ascension of the Lord - C -- 2010
SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME
Storytellers -- John 17:20-26 -- Leah Thompson -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - C -- 2010
SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME
Hit it, maestro! -- John 14:8-17 (25-27) -- Leah Thompson -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2010
SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME
Hear it now -- John 16:12-15 -- Leah Thompson -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - C -- 2010
SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME

Children's sermon

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Enriched -- 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - A -- 2010
… For in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind. (v.
True heroes -- Hebrews 11:29--12:2 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 2010
"For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the p
Whodunit? -- Luke 24:44-53 -- Leah Thompson -- Ascension of the Lord - C -- 2010
"You are witnesses of these things." (v. 48)
Follow -- John 1:29-42 -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - A -- 2010
The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. (v. 37)
Lessons to learn -- Luke 18:1-8 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - C -- 2010
And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says." (v. 6)
Bringing fire -- Luke 12:49-56 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 2010
"I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" (v. 49)
Being clean -- Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 -- Leah Thompson -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - C -- 2010
"Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and
Who do you belong to? -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 2010
What I mean is that each of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong
Stamina -- 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - C -- 2010
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (v. 7)
Unshakeable -- Hebrews 12:18-29 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2010
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which
Storytellers -- John 17:20-26 -- Leah Thompson -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - C -- 2010
"I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have l
Follow me -- Matthew 4:12-23 -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 2010
Immediately they left their nets and followed him. (v. 20)
Mercy -- Luke 18:9-14 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - C -- 2010
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his br
Sabbath laws -- Luke 13:10-17 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2010
"And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set
Spirited -- Romans 8:14-17 -- Leah Thompson -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2010
"For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spir
What do you need? -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 2010
For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling blo
Outgrown -- 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - C -- 2010
"We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith
Entertaining angels -- Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2010
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels
Hit it, maestro! -- John 14:8-17 (25-27) -- Leah Thompson -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2010
"The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his w
Words -- 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16) -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - A -- 2010
When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in
Sons of Abraham -- Luke 19:1-10 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - C -- 2010
"Then Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abra
Fortune and fame -- Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2010
"For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
Love poured out -- Romans 5:1-5 -- Leah Thompson -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - C -- 2010
"And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces enduranc
Lamp -- Matthew 5:13-20 -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - A -- 2010
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and giv
Remember me -- Ephesians 1:11-23 -- Leah Thompson -- All Saints Day - C -- 2010
"I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this r

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The book Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein is a well-known book... -- 1 Timothy 6:6-19 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C -- 2010
The book Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein is a well-known book of children's poetr
NULL -- Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C -- 2010
A popular poster in grade school classrooms reads something like this: "Thirty years from now, it wo
NULL -- Revelation 21:1-6a -- Leah Thompson -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2010
Joan Osborne's 1995 pop single "One of Us" asks questions that we don't want to know the answers to.
NULL -- Lamentations 1:1-6 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C -- 2010
In the film Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood plays a man who has nothing left to live for.
NULL -- Amos 7:7-17 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 2010
The Israelites were familiar with building.
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 2010
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, two contemporary satire writers, outdo themselves in their joint no
NULL -- Luke 17:5-10 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C -- 2010
Kirstin, a university student, worked backstage in the school's theatre as a costumer.
NULL -- Luke 10:25-37 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 2010
Jerry was not a good neighbor. His dogs sometimes did their business in Randy's yard.
NULL -- Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12) -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - A -- 2010
Her family and friends keep pressuring her to quit smoking, but Cynthia can't bring herself to do it
NULL -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2010
In Ray Bradbury's science fiction classic Fahrenheit 451, firefighters are not as we know the
NULL -- Hosea 1:2-10 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C -- 2010
"If you talk the talk, you have to walk the walk." We want our role models to practice what they pre
NULL -- Matthew 5:13-20 -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - A -- 2010
In an old fairy tale, a king asks his three daughters how much they love him.
NULL -- Jeremiah 31:27-34 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - C -- 2010
When you are in the third grade, times tables are one of the world's great mysteries.
NULL -- Luke 11:1-13 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C -- 2010
In a traditional retelling of the story Beauty and the Beast, the Beast asks Beauty the same
The Andersons are Catholic... -- 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - A -- 2010
The Andersons are Catholic, and they are very fond of the priest in their parish.
NULL -- Luke 18:1-8 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - C -- 2010
Anthony is a good actor, but he says he doesn't want to audition for the school play.
You know the story by heart... -- Colossians 1:15-28 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 2010
You know the story by heart -- perhaps you have this story.
Charlize doesn't get along with her dad... -- Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18 -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - A -- 2010
Charlize doesn't get along with her dad.
NULL -- 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - C -- 2010
Drink offerings have a long history.
NULL -- Colossians 3:1-11 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2010
In the classic musical My Fair Lady, Professor Henry Higgins bets a friend that he can transf
In the 1992 film Last of the Mohicans... -- Matthew 5:38-48 -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - A -- 2010
In the 1992 film Last of the Mohicans, Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Hawkeye, an Englishman adopt
NULL -- Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - C -- 2010
A poor mother in early twentieth-century India sends her child to a British boarding school.
NULL -- 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 -- Leah Thompson -- Epiphany 8 | Ordinary Time 8 - A -- 2010
Lorraine puts her foot in her mouth at every opportunity, or so it seems to her.
NULL -- Luke 19:1-10 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - C -- 2010
"Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he!" Many Sunday school students know the
NULL -- Ephesians 1:11-23 -- Leah Thompson -- All Saints Day - C -- 2010
The 1991 film Hook, starring Robin Williams and Julia Roberts, is an adaptation of the story
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Easter 6
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Ascension
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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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