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Mark Ellingsen

Mark Ellingsen, a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), has been a professor of Church History at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia, since 1993. He graduated magna cum laude from Gettysburg College (Pennsylvania) and Yale University, from which he received three master's degrees in divinity, arts, and philosophy, as well as his Ph.D. He has authored 26 books including his latest, Dialoguing With Critical Race Theory: Constitutional and Christian Links (Vernon Press). He and his wife have three grown children. When he is not writing or teaching, Ellingsen enjoys discussing politics, sports, and playing guitar.
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Commentary

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Sermon Illustrations for Thanksgiving (2015) -- Joel 2:21-27, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Matthew 6:25-33 -- Bill Thomas, Bonnie Bates, Mark Ellingsen, Bob Ove, Ron Love, Frank Ramirez -- Thanksgiving Day - B -- 2015
Joel 2:21-27
Sermon Illustrations for Advent 1 (2015) -- Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Luke 21:25-36 -- Bob Ove, Bonnie Bates, Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, R. Robert Cueni -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2015
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany 3 (2015) -- Jonah 3:1-5, 10, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, Mark 1:14-20 -- Ron Love, Mark Ellingsen, Bob Ove, Derl G. Keefer -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 2015
Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Sermon Illustrations for Advent 3 (2015) -- Zephaniah 3:14-20, Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18 -- Bill Thomas, Bob Ove, Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates, Frank Ramirez, R. Robert Cueni, Ron Love -- Third Sunday of Advent - C -- 2015
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Philosopher Alain de Botton... -- 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 2015
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Statistics from the Center for... -- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - A -- 2014
Statistics from the Center for Disease Control indicate that 1 in 20 Americans are depressed.
Sermon Illustrations for Lent 4 (2014) -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Ephesians 5:8-14, John 9:1-41 -- Mark Ellingsen, Scott A. Bryte, Derl G. Keefer, Bob Ove, Ron Love -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2014
1 Samuel 16:1-13
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 (2014) -- Genesis 45:1-15, Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32, Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28 -- Derl G. Keefer, Scott A. Bryte, Bob Ove, Mark Ellingsen, Ron Love -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A -- 2014
Genesis 45:1-15
Let's not romanticize... -- John 10:1-10 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2014
Let's not romanticize the sheep in the story of the good shepherd.
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 (2014) -- Judges 4:1-7, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Matthew 25:14-30 -- Ron Love, Mark Ellingsen, Derl G. Keefer, Bob Ove -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 2014
Judges 4:1-7
Times were bad... -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2014
Times were bad in Israel when God decided to anoint new leadership (David).
Sermon Illustrations for Christmas Day (2014) -- Isaiah 9:2-7, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- Ron Love, Mark Ellingsen, Bob Ove, Derl G. Keefer -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2014
Isaiah 9:2-7
Paul's point is that we... -- Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A -- 2014
Paul's point is that we Gentiles have been grafted into the tree that is Judaism. We are
Sermon Illustrations for Passion Sunday (2014) -- Isaiah 50:4-9a, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:14--27:66 -- Ron Love, Derl G. Keefer, Mark Ellingsen, Bob Ove, Scott A. Bryte -- Passion Sunday - A -- 2014
Isaiah 50:4-9a
A 2010 study of the Hartford... -- Judges 4:1-7 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 2014
A 2010 study of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research revealed a glass ceiling for women in c
Commenting on this... -- John 9:1-41 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2014
Commenting on this story of the blindness of the man Jesus healed Augustine claimed that this blind
There is a lot of imbalance... -- Isaiah 9:2-7 -- Mark Ellingsen -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2014
There is a lot of imbalance of power in American society.
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 (2014) -- Exodus 1:8--2:10, Romans 12:1-8, Matthew 16:13-20 -- Ron Love, Mark Ellingsen, Scott A. Bryte, Derl G. Keefer, Bob Ove -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A -- 2014
Exodus 1:8--2:10
We can learn a lot... -- Exodus 12:1-14 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A -- 2014
We can learn a lot about what the story of the Passover has to do with Christians from our Jewish fr
Passion Sunday and this... -- Isaiah 50:4-9a -- Mark Ellingsen -- Passion Sunday - A -- 2014
Passion Sunday and this lesson are all about God's surprising ways of taking care of us; he makes go
Americans do not have... -- Matthew 25:14-30 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 2014
Americans do not have a good sense of priorities.
Sigmund Freud was... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2014
Sigmund Freud was correct about life apart from Christ: "The goal of all life is death." Or as Leona
In a Christmas sermon... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- Mark Ellingsen -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2014
In a Christmas sermon Martin Luther nicely explained the implications of Christ's nativity for the w
John Lennon said... -- Exodus 1:8--2:10 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A -- 2014
John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're making all your plans." Who would have t
The insidious character... -- Matthew 26:14--27:66 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Passion Sunday - A -- 2014
The insidious character of sin is transmitted in every version of the Passion narrative.

Political Pulpit

Preaching

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The Political Pulpit

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
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
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...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Katy Stenta
George Reed
For November 2, 2025:
Thomas Willadsen
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Katy Stenta
George Reed
For November 2, 2025:

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This message involves roleplay. You will need a chair for Zach to stand on, unless it is ok for him to stand on a front pew. For the best fun, you will also want to have an adult volunteer play the role of Jesus and walk in when it is time. Whether he is in costume is up to you.

* * *
John Jamison
Object: You will need one or more pictures of people recognized as saints. You may find some pictures by Googling “public domain pictures of saints” and printing images from the results.

* * *

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 and Psalm 119:137-144
Walter Elwell in the Shaw Pocket Bible Handbook notes of righteousness that it is, “Right standing, specifically before God. Among the Greeks, righteousness was an ethical virtue. Among the Hebrews it was a legal concept; the righteous man was the one who got the verdict of acceptability when tried at the bar of God’s justice.” God is a righteous God, even when is people are not righteous.
Frank Ramirez
One of the features of synagogue worship is the Shema. The Hebrew word is “Hear!” and is the opening for Deuteronomy 6:4-5, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” God’s people are commanded to “hear” these words. They come from the Lord. And these three scriptures invite us to hear God and each other, something that is lacking in our society today.
Wayne Brouwer
Fred Craddock tells of a vacation encounter in the Smokey Mountains of eastern Tennessee years ago that moved him deeply. He and his wife took supper one evening in a place called the Black Bear Inn. One side of the building was all glass, open to a magnificent mountain view. Glad to be alone, the Craddocks were a bit annoyed when an elderly man ambled over and struck up a nosey conversation: “Are you on vacation?” “Where are you from?” “What do you do?”
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 and Psalm 149

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, but your commandments are my delight. Your statutes are always righteous; give me understanding that I may live. (vv. 143-144)

When I was an associate pastor in Janesville, Wisconsin one of my responsibilities was to give a lecture on spirituality once a month at a drug treatment facility. The students who attended were persons who had been convicted of drunk driving and were required to attend the class as a condition of their sentence. Attendance was always good.
Frank Ramirez
Call them the good old days. Call it the Golden Age. It’s not unusual for people to look back in their youth, or to the youth of their country, as somehow more perfect, honorable, or simpler. C.S. Lewis was always skeptical about claims that chocolate was better in one’s youth. It wasn’t better. Our taste buds were stronger and more receptive.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
The Roman Catholic Church's canonisation of Edith Stein some years ago, fuelled considerable controversy. Edith Stein was born and bred into a Jewish family, becoming a Roman Catholic Christian at the age of 31. She was also a leading German intellectual in the early thirties, during the run-up to World War 2, although she gave up that career in order to become a Carmelite nun. But she didn't deny her Jewish roots, for in 1933 she petitioned the Pope, Pious XI to write an encyclical in defence of the Jews.
Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus didn't reject anyone, even those who were liars and cheats. By a simple act of friendship Jesus turned Zaccheus' life around. In our worship today let us consider friendship and all that it means.


Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, there are some people I don't like.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, there are some people I reject.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, there are some people I keep out of my circle of friends.
Lord, have mercy.


Reading:

SermonStudio

Carlos Wilton
Theme For The Day
The world offers many blessings, but none of these things will save us: only the blessing of God in Jesus Christ can do that.

Old Testament Lesson
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Daniel's Apocalyptic Dream
Perry H. Biddle, Jr.
Comments on the Lessons
John W. Clarke
This chapter of Luke brings us ever closer to the end of Jesus' public ministry. Jesus enters Jericho, just fifteen miles or so from the holy city of Jerusalem. It is here that Jesus transforms the life of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. This is one of the few stories that is peculiar to Luke and is a wonderful human-interest story. The fact that Zacchaeus is willing to climb a tree to see Jesus is a clear indication that he really wanted to see and meet the carpenter from Nazareth. His eagerness to see Jesus is rewarded in a very special way.
Scott A. Bryte
Then he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
Mark Ellingson
This is a story written for people who had been or were about to be persecuted, if not enslaved. (The book of Daniel was probably written in the mid-second century B.C. during a period of Seleucid [Syrian] domination in Palestine.) It tells them and us how their ancestors had once faced a similar slavery under the oppression of the Babylonians centuries earlier. The implication was that if these ancestors could endure and overcome such bondage, so could they and so can we.
Gary L. Carver
Ulysses S. Grant fought many significant battles as commander of the Union forces in the War Between the States. He also served as President of the United States where he probably engaged in as many battles as he did while he was a general. Toward the end of his life he fought his toughest battle -- with cancer and death.

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