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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

The earliest Jewish belief shared by the Greeks... -- Micah 5:2-5a -- Ron Love -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - C -- 2012
The earliest Jewish belief, shared by the Greeks, was that the firmament was a solid dome.
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 (2012) -- Proverbs 1:20-33, James 3:1-12, Mark 8:27-38 -- Richard A. Hasler, Mark Ellingsen, Mark J. Molldrem, Ron Love, Bob Ove, Cynthia E. Cowen -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2012
Proverbs 1:20-33
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 27 | OT 32 (2012) -- Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17, Hebrews 9:24-28, Mark 12:38-44 -- Richard A. Hasler, Mark Ellingsen, Cynthia E. Cowen, Mark J. Molldrem, Bob Ove, Ron Love -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - B -- 2012
Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17
Women and children and unsaved into the lifeboats... -- Titus 2:11-14 -- Ron Love -- The Nativity of our Lord - C -- 2012
"Women and children and unsaved into the lifeboats!" Note in this cry the rescuer's word "unsaved."
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 (2012) -- Proverbs 31:10-31, James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a, Mark 9:30-37 -- Cynthia E. Cowen, Bob Ove, Ron Love, Mark J. Molldrem, Mark Ellingsen, Richard A. Hasler -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2012
Women! 4 Positions OpenPalms' Inn & Supper Club
NULL -- John 18:33-37 -- Ron Love -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 2012
Las Vegas is the prime destination for trade shows.
In a comic strip that appears regularly... -- Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) -- Ron Love -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - C -- 2012
In a comic strip that appears regularly in the Sunday newspaper, a man is greeted by his wife as he
NULL -- Proverbs 31:10-31 -- Ron Love -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2012
The harbor in Charleston, South Carolina, has engaged in a $15 million project to deepen the channel
Sermon Illustrations for Thanksgiving (2012) -- Joel 2:21-27, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Matthew 6:25-33 -- Richard A. Hasler, Mark Ellingsen, Ron Love, Mark J. Molldrem, Bob Ove, Cynthia E. Cowen -- Thanksgiving Day - B -- 2012
Joel 2:21-27
NULL -- Mark 9:30-37 -- Ron Love -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2012
The Washington Post did a review of books about the Titanic on the 100th anniversary o
NULL -- Joshua 24:1-25 -- Ron Love -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - A -- 2011
Bill Murray had completed school and was doing very well for himself.
NULL -- Genesis 1:1--2:4a -- Ron Love -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - A -- 2011
Before each game, Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair will scrawl a plus sign on his h
Can a story become too familiar? -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Ron Love -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2011
Can a story become too familiar? Can a story become overdone?
In Tom Wilson's cartoon Ziggy -- Exodus 24:12-18 -- Ron Love -- Transfiguration Sunday - A -- 2011
In Tom Wilson's cartoon, Ziggy, who always seems to be struggling with his place in life, is
NULL -- Matthew 25:1-13 -- Ron Love -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - A -- 2011
Did you know the saying "God willing and the Creeks don't rise" was in reference to the Creek Indian
NULL -- Matthew 28:16-20 -- Ron Love -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - A -- 2011
The people of Minamisom, Japan, were desperate.
Mike Weir was the 2003 Masters champion... -- Isaiah 60:1-6 -- Ron Love -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2011
Mike Weir was the 2003 Masters champion.
NULL -- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 -- Ron Love -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 2011
In the late 1800s there were three African-American leaders who wanted to integrate blacks into whit
NULL -- Romans 6:12-23 -- Ron Love -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - A -- 2011
Las Vegas is embracing its original ties to organized crime by opening a $42 million museum called t
William Shatner for years avoided any convention... -- Acts 19:1-7 -- Ron Love -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 2011
William Shatner for years avoided any convention that was related to the television series Star T
NULL -- Ezekiel 34:11-24 -- Ron Love -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - A -- 2011
In the late 1800s there were two fundamental scientific principles that physicians used to diagnosis

The Immediate Word

The Untold Christmas Story -- Matthew 2:16-18, Luke 1:46b-55, Micah 5:2-5a, Psalm 80:1-7 -- Ron Love, George Reed, Dean Feldmeyer, Mary Austin -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - C -- 2012
The news was stunning and almost unimaginable -- a bustling elementary school in a well-to-do commun
Quirky Leadership -- Mark 1:21-28, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Deuteronomy 18:15-20, Psalm 111 -- Ron Love, Mary Austin, George Reed -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 2012
One of the main themes running throughout all of this week's lectionary passages is the authority th
O God, It Is Mother's Day... <I>Or</i> Oh Gawd, It's Mother's Day -- 1 John 5:1-6, John 15:9-17, Acts 10:44-48, Psalm 98 -- George Reed, Ron Love -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2012
Mother's Day typically offers a conundrum for us -- should we accede to the wishes of many in our co
Here Or There? -- Luke 24:44-53, John 17:6-19, Acts 1:15-26, Acts 1:1-11 -- George Reed, Ron Love, Mary Austin -- Ascension of the Lord - B -- 2012
This Sunday offers a choice for those who follow the lectionary -- some congregations will observe A

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UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Baptism of Our Lord
29 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
40 – Children's Sermons / Resources
25 – Worship Resources
27 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Epiphany 2 | OT 2
30 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
39 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
30 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Epiphany 3 | OT 3
30 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
31 – Children's Sermons / Resources
22 – Worship Resources
25 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
George Reed
Nazish Naseem
For February 1, 2026:
  • What the Lord Requires by Dean Feldmeyer. The world’s requirements are often complex and difficult. God’s requirements are simple and easy. Kinda.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the people how they could be blessed by God and experience God's kingdom. In our worship today let us explore the Sermon on the Mount.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I'm full of pride instead of being poor in spirit.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm overbearing and pushy, instead of being meek.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm not exactly pure in heart.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt
Contents
What's Up This Week
Stories to Live By: "You Fool"/ "Us Who Are Being Saved"
Shining Moments: "A Comforting Dream" by Harold Klug
Good Stories: "Mercy, Mercy" by John Sumwalt
Scrap Pile: "The Souper Bowl of Caring" by Jo Perry-Sumwalt


What's Up This Week
by John Sumwalt

Sandra Herrmann
John Jamison
Contents
"Child Sacrifice" by Sandra Herrmann (Micah 6:1-8)
"Ka-Chang" by John B. Jamison (Matthew 5:1-12)


* * * * * * * *


Child Sacrifice
Sandra Herrmann
Micah 6:1-8

SermonStudio

Stephen P. McCutchan
For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles....
-- 1 Corinthians 1:23-24

Russell F. Anderson
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS

Lesson 1: Micah 6:1--8 (C, E, L)
John N. Brittain
The other day I stumbled onto a Discovery Channel show about underwater archaeology (not basket weaving). The archaeologist described the process of identifying the probable location of an underwater wreck site, the grueling work involved in beginning the process, and the same kind of methodical work that characterizes all scientific archaeology. But then her eyes twinkled as she described the joy of uncovering the first artifact, or recognizing a significant discovery. And that of course is what it is all about, the final product of discovery.
Tony S. Everett
Late one night, Pastor Bill was driving home after spending the past 23 hours in the hospital with his wife, celebrating the birth of their son. It had been a glorious day. His wife was peacefully resting. His extended family was ecstatic. His son was healthy. Surely God was in heaven and all was right with the world.

Linda Schiphorst Mccoy
When I'm teaching a class, and want to get a discussion going, I often begin with something that's called a sentence stem. I start a sentence and let the participants complete it. This morning, if I were to ask you to complete this sentence, what would you say? "Happy are those who...." What would you use to complete the thought?
Dallas A. Brauninger
E-mail
From: KDM
To: God
Subject: Demands On God
Message: All these demands don't make sense, God. Lauds, KDM
R. Glen Miles
What does God want from us? The answer is simple, but it is not easy to put into practice. What God wants is you. What God wants is me. God wants our whole selves. The prophet Micah makes it fairly clear that ultimately God does not care too much about religion and the things that come with it. Religion isn't a bad enterprise. It is okay as a way of reminding us about what God wants, but in the long run being good at religion is not what God desires. What God requires is us. It is simple to understand but not necessarily the thing we would offer to God first.
John B. Jamison
It was a strange sound. Some said it was a kind of "clanging" sound, while others said it was more of a "ka-ching," or more accurately, a "ka-chang!" It sounded like the result of metal hitting metal, which is exactly what it was.

In the valley off to the west from the hillside is a steep cliff rising up the face of Mount Arbel. The face of the cliff is covered with hundreds of caves, with no good way to get to them without climbing straight up the cliff. That's why the Zealots liked them. They were safe.
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
Prayer Of Dedication/Gathering
P: Our Lord Jesus calls each of us to a life of justice, kindness, and humility. We pray that in this hour before us our defenses would fall and your love would be set free within us.
Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit, your mercy knows no end.
C: Amen.

Intercessory Prayers

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
We have a prejudice in favor of things complex. Not that we necessarily desire complexity, but somehow we trust it more. We figure that complexity is the prevailing reality in our world, and so we feel obliged to be in touch with it. We would love to hear that this thing or that is really quite simple, but doctors, politicians, futurists, ethicists, economists -- and even some preachers -- keep discouraging us. It's actually quite complicated, we are told, and there is no simple answer.
People tend to say in times of personal or community disaster, "God works in mysterious ways." The point they are making is that when we can't figure out any logical answer to a situation, it must be the work of God. It is one way of making sense out of an inexplicable event.
Schuyler Rhodes
In 1993 brothers Tom and David Gardner began a financial information service they named The Motley Fool. Dressed in their trademark court jester hats, the motley fools can be seen and heard offering their advice and warnings concerning the stock market on a variety of talk shows and financial news channels.

CSSPlus

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have spent time around babies? (let them answer) Babies are so cute when they are happy but hard to please when they are upset. Babies can't talk, can they? (let them answer) So when they don't get what they want they cry. When they are hungry they cry. When they are sleepy they cry. When a stranger tries to hold them they cry. How do we know if babies are sick, hungry, or tired? (let them answer) Most of the time a baby's mom can figure out what's wrong even when we can't.
Teachers or Parents: Have the children sit on the floor and pretend that they are on a mountaintop and learning at Jesus' feet. Ask: "How is this classroom different from classrooms you have seen?" "How is it like them?" Read various portions of the "Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew 5-7) that they might understand (such as Matthew 7:7-11 -- prayer; 7:12 -- the Golden Rule; 7:15 -- being true). Be careful -- many parts of the Sermon on the Mount are difficult for children to understand and may lead to great misunderstanding and perhaps fear.

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