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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

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

We get so turned off by... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Thanksgiving Day - A -- 2014
We get so turned off by a lack of gratitude in most people. We just have to live with it.
We need light in the midst... -- Isaiah 60:1-6 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2014
We need light in the midst of our darkness our lesson proclaims.
Like the ancient Hebrews in the... -- Exodus 16:2-15 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2014
Like the ancient Hebrews in the wilderness, Americans are never satisfied.
A 2006 poll... -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Good Friday - A -- 2014
A 2006 poll by Baylor University revealed that 2 in 5 Americans have a distant God, one not engaged
The words of the famed... -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 2014
The words of the famed French intellectual Blaise Pascal well describe the sense of meaninglessness
God seems to... -- Genesis 22:1-14 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - A -- 2014
God seems to advocate human sacrifice in this lesson. It makes no sense.
Sermon Illustrations for Advent 1 (2014) -- Isaiah 64:1-9, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Mark 13:24-37 -- Mark Ellingsen, Ron Love, Derl G. Keefer, Bob Ove -- First Sunday of Advent - B -- 2014
Isaiah 64:1-9
Epiphany continues the celebration... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2014
Epiphany continues the celebration of Christmas.
Americans are not inclined to practice... -- Philippians 2:1-13 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - A -- 2014
Americans are not inclined to practice humility.
We are prone to... -- John 18:1--19:42 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Good Friday - A -- 2014
We are prone to ignore or take Good Friday for granted most of the time.
Sermon Illustrations for Easter 5 (2014) -- Acts 7:55-60, 1 Peter 2:2-10, John 14:1-14 -- Bob Ove, Ron Love, Mark Ellingsen, Derl G. Keefer -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2014
Acts 7:55-60
Baptism makes living... -- Romans 6:1b-11 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - A -- 2014
Baptism makes living the Christian life easy. Americans do not want to believe that.
Trying to relate... -- Genesis 1:1--2:4a -- Mark Ellingsen -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - A -- 2014
Trying to relate the Creation accounts in Genesis with modern science is tricky but not impossible.
The lesson refers to the... -- Isaiah 64:1-9 -- Mark Ellingsen -- First Sunday of Advent - B -- 2014
The lesson refers to the precariousness of life and the fact that no one calls on God's name.
Sermon Illustrations for Baptism of Our Lord (2015) -- Genesis 1:1-5, Acts 19:1-7, Mark 1:4-11 -- Derl G. Keefer, Bob Ove, Mark Ellingsen, Ron Love -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 2014
Genesis 1:1-5
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 -- Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20, Philippians 3:4b-14, Matthew 21:33-46 -- Mark Ellingsen, Ron Love, Bob Ove, Derl G. Keefer -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - A -- 2014
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
Sermon Illustrations for Easter Sunday (2014) -- Acts 10:34-43, Colossians 3:1-4, John 20:1-18 -- Bob Ove, Mark Ellingsen, Derl G. Keefer, Ron Love -- Easter Day - A -- 2014
Acts 10:34-43
A 2011 Gallup poll... -- 1 Peter 2:2-10 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2014
A 2011 Gallup poll found that 71% of Americans are not happy with their jobs (not "actively engaged"
Sermon Illustrations for Easter 7 (2014) -- Acts 1:6-14, 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11, John 17:1-11 -- Mark Ellingsen, Ron Love, Derl G. Keefer, Bob Ove -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2014
Acts 1:6-14
This account of the... -- Matthew 28:16-20 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - A -- 2014
This account of the great commission in this text gets us thinking about evangelism.
Jesus reminds us that we... -- Mark 13:24-37 -- Mark Ellingsen -- First Sunday of Advent - B -- 2014
Jesus reminds us that we do not have a moment to waste, we need to be prepared.
Baptism and the Holy Spirit... -- Acts 19:1-7 -- Mark Ellingsen -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 2014
Baptism and the Holy Spirit belong together intimately according to Luke.
American Christians like... -- Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - A -- 2014
American Christians like to think that they are pretty good at keeping the Ten Commandments.
Too often the impact... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Easter Day - A -- 2014
Too often the impact of Easter does not register in our lives.
This story of the... -- Acts 1:6-14 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2014
This story of the ascension seems to be a text that teaches us of our distance from God, as Christ d

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Jeremiah 31:27-34
John Calvin makes very clear why a new covenant is needed according to this text. He observes:

… the fault was not to be sought in the law that there was need of a new covenant, for the law was abundantly sufficient, but that fault was in the levity and the unfaithfulness of the people. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.X/2, p.130)
David Coffin
What happens when one’s past life narrative or goals in life have drastically shifted or collapsed? How do they rebuild hope? For Israel, they lost their land, monarchy, and national identity. In the days of the New Testament,they could easily be identified as living in the “fourth world” country. That is, existing in substandard conditions in one’s own native land?

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
Rose sat back in her chair and opened her magazine. She heard the thump of the stairs and caught a glimpse of her daughter and son in the corner of her eye. She turned her head as they put water bottles in their backpacks.

“What are you two doing?” she looked over at the clock. “Don’t you have homework?”

“All done,” Paul and Linda announced at the same time.

Rose ignored Linda but locked eyes with Paul. He met her gaze for a few moments and then sighed.

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The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

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.


Invitation to Confession:

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

Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes my prayers seem so dry and boring that I give up.

Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Psalm 119 is well-known as the longest chapter in the Bible. The poem is actually an extended, and extensive, meditation on the meaning of the law. Given the sterile connotations often associated with "law" and "legalism," it's hard sometimes to appreciate the lyrical beauty of these reflections. One thing is for certain, the writer of this psalm does not view the law as either sterile or void of vitality.

Schuyler Rhodes
There is perhaps no better feeling than knowing that someone "has your back." Having someone's back is a term that arose from urban street fighting where a partner or ally would stay with you and protect your back in the thick of the fray. When someone has your back, you don't worry about being hit from behind. When someone has your back you can concentrate on the struggle in front of you without worrying about dangers you cannot see. When someone has your back you feel protected, secure, safe.
David Kalas
I wonder how many of us here are named after someone.

Chances are that a good many of us carry family names. We are named for a parent, a grandparent, an uncle, or an aunt somewhere on the family tree. Others of us had parents who named us after a character in the Bible, or perhaps some other significant character from history.

All told, I expect a pretty fair number of us are named after someone else.

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).
Donna E. Schaper
As usual, the epistle is a little more graphic than we can quite grasp. Itchy ears: what a concept just in physical terms. Experience it for a minute. You itch, you scratch, you sort of know you shouldn't scratch because it will only make the itch worse. But still you scratch, while wondering how the itch ever got started in the first place. What a concept: itchy ears as a vehicle for spiritual truth.

John E. Berger
Did Jesus ever do comedy? Indeed he did, and the Parable of the Unjust Judge is partly comic monologue. The routine began with a probate judge so ridiculously dishonest that he announced, "... I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone...." (There must have been a gasp of disbelief from Jesus' audience.)

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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