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Timothy F. Merrill

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Deafening Decibels -- Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Ash Wednesday - C -- 2003
My neighbor across the street stopped by one day to tell me he had petitioned the city council for a
The Fat Factor -- Hebrews 11:29--12:2 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 2003
Camryn Manheim is an actor, best known for her role as the no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners, Eleanor F
A New Idea -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 2003
The Utne Reader (named after its founder) is not at all like the Reader's Digest.
AAADD -- Jeremiah 1:4-10 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2003
"Do you believe in life after death?" the boss asked one of his new employees.
Christ The President Sunday -- Colossians 1:11-20 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - C -- 2003
We have arrived at the last Sunday of the church year.
Sex Is A Turnoff -- Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2003
You've seen the ads.
Where's Jesus? -- Luke 24:1-12 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Easter Day - C -- 2003
I have a hobby that some people might think odd, if not perverse.
Lopsided Clay -- Jeremiah 18:1-11 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - C -- 2003
My wife is a potter. She has a wheel in the sun room and a kiln in the garage.
The First Jesus Seminar -- John 20:19-31 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2003
No biblical character has suffered as much exegetical and theological abuse as Thomas.
The Parable Of The Lost Dog -- Luke 15:1-10 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - C -- 2003
Like most of the general population, I lose things all the time.
A Shop That Specializes In Conversions -- Acts 9:1-6 (7-20) -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2003
Have you converted anything lately?We do it all the time.
Prayer Meeting On The First Tee -- 1 Timothy 2:1-7 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C -- 2003
I attend a small country church where I volunteer my time to preach and plan worship.
Freeze-dried Or On Ice? -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2003
Slugger Ted Williams, "the greatest hitter in the world," the last player to hit over .400 for a sea
Body Building -- 1 Timothy 6:6-19 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C -- 2003
The psalmist David seems to have it right when he muses, "It was you who formed my inward parts ...
The Ketchup Church -- Acts 11:1-18 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2003
My parents didn't put up with a lot of foolishness.
Lipstick Pistols -- 2 Timothy 1:1-14 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C -- 2003
"We do disagreeable things," wrote novelist John le Carré in The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, "so
The Nanotest -- John 14:23-29 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2003
When I was a kid I got sick probably as much as the next kid, but not abnormally so.
Gratitude Deficit Disorder (GDD) -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2003
I love all these new diseases, syndromes, and disorders they've come up with in the last ten years.
The Mind-set -- John 17:20-26 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - C -- 2003
Justin and Juliana, twins, are college seniors at Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin.
The Nag Factor -- Luke 18:1-8 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - C -- 2003
Alex, nine, is just one kid among millions who make up the demographic group aged four to twelve, a
The Popcorn Fork -- John 2:1-11 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - C -- 2003
You've rented the movie Shrek like for about the fourth time, and you're all settling in the family
Croppies -- Joel 2:23-32 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - C -- 2003
My wife enjoys Mel Gibson's talent. Sort of like I enjoy Jamie Lee Curtis' talent.
The Head Light -- Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - C -- 2003
Every once in a while, I hear from friends I had in college and seminary.
Deus Absconditus -- Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - C -- 2003
Sometimes, you just don't know where God is, or if you do, what he's up to.
The English Garden -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 -- Timothy F. Merrill -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2003
Allan Metcalf, executive secretary of the American Dialect Society, likes to think of language as a
UPCOMING WEEKS
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Proper 10 | OT 15 | Pentecost 5
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Proper 11 | OT 16 | Pentecost 6
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 12 | OT 17 | Pentecost 7
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
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31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

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John Jamison
Object: You may present this message as a simple story, or have the children act it out as a role-play. I will show the role-play version, but you can ignore the acting pieces and just tell the story if you prefer.

Note: For the role-play version, you will need to select two girls and one boy to play the roles. You might also have a broom and a dust rag if you want to.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Great! Let’s get started.

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
For July 20, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Amos 8:1-12, Psalm 52
Amos proclaims the word from God that punishes the people. The people are to be punished for their lack of faith, for their focus on practicing deceit, betraying honesty to their neighbors, and being impatient for the time after the Sabbath when they can focus on profit and selling their crops and wares. Oh, my! What a terrible message for people. You have been unfaithful so I will punish you. And then in the psalm, God is proclaimed to be the olive tree, that which brings blessing.
David Kalas
I have tried to find different ways of saying it so that my children don’t tire of hearing it. But the basic principle remains the same, and my kids have heard it a ton. “First things first.” They ask if they can do this or they start to do that, and I will endeavor to redirect them, saying, “Why don’t we make sure we’re doing first things first!”

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John E. Sumwalt
I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. (v. 24)

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
One of Martha's earliest memories was of her little sister Mary singing and dancing in the middle of an admiring crowd of friends. Mary had always been a dancer, from the time she could walk. Privately, Martha thought she'd always been something of a show-off and ought to go on the stage, for Mary loved an audience.

SermonStudio

John E. Sumwalt
Jeanne Jones
Several years ago, before we moved to Wisconsin, I was an honorary nanny for our pastor's son, Jonathan. I took care of him from the time he was able to walk until our pastor moved, when Jonathan was about five. We had wonderful times together. One time, when I was at their house, and we had been doing some spiritual direction together, Pastor Michael asked me if I knew the name of my guardian angel.
James Evans
We are not surprised when we learn about crooks and robbers boasting about "mischief done against the godly" or "plotting destruction" all day long. The image we have in our minds about who "bad" people are, and how they conduct themselves, make such accusations completely plausible. We are less inclined to believe such things about leaders, especially respected leaders among us. We have difficulty believing someone with wealth and power would deliberately plot to do someone else harm.
Arley K. Fadness
Today's gospel from Luke 10 follows the parable of the good Samaritan. Luke positions the good Samaritan and the Mary-Martha story back to back for good reason. The parable and the story are examples of the Great Commandment "to love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself." The good Samaritan parable illustrates "love to neighbor," whereas the Mary-Martha story illustrates "love to God."
Kirk R. Webster
In the early 1990s, Wesley Nunley of Dallas completed a project he had dreamed of for decades. "I tell you, this could be a big thing," he explained. Wes then walked out to a concrete octagon in the middle of his backyard. With a beaming smile, arms raised up in excitement, the energetic retiree said, "This welcomes the UFO to land, which has never been done before."
John W. Wurster
It was the best of times. A time of prosperity and confidence, a time of relative peace, a time when most everything looked pretty good, a time when most everyone felt pretty good. It was a time maybe not unlike our own time.
H. Burnham Kirkland
Words Of Assurance
Our God is both wise and caring: afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted.

Pastoral Prayer
God, we bow before you this morning, knowing that you hear every prayer. We know that in all of Creation, you are the source of life. You are the one who set the light swirling between the galaxies. The breath of your Spirit pulses through all life. You have even become flesh among us. We praise you, Lord, that in all your wonder, you have not forgotten us.

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