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Ron Love

Ronald H. Love was called into the ordained ministry from a career as a state trooper. He has served Methodist churches in rural, inner-city and suburban settings for 20 years, and also served for four years as an Army chaplain. Dr. Love has also been a corporate librarian for a Fortune 500 company and been a university professor for ten years, teaching history and theology. His writing experience includes denominational publications, magazine articles on religion, and a newspaper devotional column. He holds a bachelor's degree in sociology (Slippery Rock State College), master's degrees in library and information science (University of Pittsburgh), secondary education (Duquesne University), church history (Indiana University of Pennsylvania), and theology (Wesley Theological Seminary), as well as a doctorate in homiletics (Pittsburgh Theological Seminary). Dr. Love now resides in South Carolina.
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Commentary

Children's sermon

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Sermon Illustrations for Proper 16 | OT 21 -- Jeremiah 1:4-10, Hebrews 12:18-29, Luke 13:10-17 -- Mark J. Molldrem, Ron Love, Scott A. Bryte, Mark Ellingsen, Bob Ove -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2013
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Sermon illustrations for Ascension of the Lord (2013) -- Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 24:44-53 -- Bob Ove, Mark J. Molldrem, Ron Love, Mark Ellingsen -- Ascension of the Lord - C -- 2013
Acts 1:1-11
NULL -- Philippians 3:4b-14 -- Ron Love -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - C -- 2013
The honesty and integrity of George Washington is often associated with the story that after he chop
The European... -- Titus 2:11-14 -- Ron Love -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2013
The European countries in the late 1800s needed colonies.
Sermons Illustrations for Proper 24 | OT 29 (2013) -- Jeremiah 31:27-34, 2 Timothy 3:14--4:5, Luke 18:1-8 -- Bob Ove, Mark Ellingsen, Ron Love, Mark J. Molldrem -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - C -- 2013
Jeremiah 31:27-34
Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens enlisted in the Navy... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Ron Love -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 2013
Currently seated Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens enlisted in the Navy several hours before t
A group of veterans... -- Hebrews 12:18-29 -- Ron Love -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2013
A group of veterans goes to various churches around the country and asks permission to place America
NULL -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Ron Love -- Ascension of the Lord - C -- 2013
To be empowered and inspired in our Christian lives, we must identify with the name of Jesus.
Sermon Illustrations for Palm/Passion Sunday (2013) -- Isaiah 50:4-9a, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:14--23:56 -- Bob Ove, Mark Ellingsen, Ron Love, Mark J. Molldrem -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2013
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Sermon Illustrations for Christmas 1 (2013) -- Isaiah 63:7-9, Hebrews 2:10-18, Matthew 2:13-23 -- Mark Ellingsen, Ron Love, Derl G. Keefer, Bob Ove -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2013
Isaiah 63:7-9
Helen Hayes, the great actress... -- 2 Timothy 3:14--4:5 -- Ron Love -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - C -- 2013
Helen Hayes, the great actress, was addressing a group of elderly individuals when she was asked how
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 (2013) -- Jeremiah 2:4-13, Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16, Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Mark Ellingsen, Scott A. Bryte, Ron Love, Bob Ove -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2013
Jeremiah 2:4-13
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 4 | OT 9 (2013) -- 1 Kings 18:20-21 (22-29) 30-39, Galatians 1:1-12, Luke 7:1-10 -- Bob Ove, Mark J. Molldrem, Scott A. Bryte, Mark Ellingsen, Ron Love -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C -- 2013
1 Kings 18:20-21 (22-29) 30-39
NULL -- Isaiah 50:4-9a -- Ron Love -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2013
Dennis and Peter Gaffney wrote a book titled The Seven-Day Scholar: The Presidents, in which
When the United States... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- Ron Love -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2013
When the United States occupied the Philippines in the 1890s, Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem that prom
Sermon Illustrations for All Saints Day (2013) -- Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18, Ephesians 1:11-23, Luke 6:20-31 -- Ron Love, Mark Ellingsen, Bob Ove, Mark J. Molldrem -- All Saints Day - C -- 2013
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Ariel Castro was sentenced... -- Jeremiah 2:4-13 -- Ron Love -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2013
Ariel Castro was sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years for his abduction, enslavement, and ph
Though the Seventh-Day Adventists... -- Galatians 1:1-12 -- Ron Love -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C -- 2013
Though the Seventh-Day Adventists have a strong and uncompromising belief in Jesus, many consider th
NULL -- Luke 22:14--23:56 -- Ron Love -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2013
George Washington's father died when he was eleven.
The war between... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- Ron Love -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2013
The war between Austria and Piedmont, which erupted in April 1859, was one of the bloodiest ever rec
It happened... -- Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 -- Ron Love -- All Saints Day - C -- 2013
It happened. An atomic bomb fell on America.
Sermon illustrations for Epiphany 4 (OT 4) Cycle C (2013) -- Jeremiah 1:4-10, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Luke 4:21-30 -- Ron Love, Mark Ellingsen, Bob Ove, Mark J. Molldrem -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2013
Jeremiah 1:4-10
In the election of 1888... -- Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Ron Love -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2013
In the election of 1888, Benjamin Harrison was most concerned about the results from his home state
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 5 | OT 10 (2013) -- 1 Kings 17:8-16 (17-24), Galatians 1:11-24, Luke 7:11-17 -- Ron Love, Scott A. Bryte, Mark Ellingsen, Bob Ove, Mark J. Molldrem -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - C -- 2013
1 Kings 17:8-16 (17-24)
Sermon Illustrations for Good Friday (2013) -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Hebrews 10:16-25, John 18:1--19:42 -- Mark Ellingsen, Ron Love, Mark J. Molldrem, Bob Ove -- Good Friday - C -- 2013
Isaiah 52:13--53:12

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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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