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Wayne Brouwer

Wayne Brouwer is a pastor of the Christian Reformed Church in North America and is an Associate Professor of Religion at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, as well as a member of the faculty of Western Theological Seminary. Brouwer has been the lead pastor in three different congregations. He is a graduate of Dordt College and holds degrees from Calvin Theological Seminary and McMaster University. Over 700 of his articles have been published as well as over a dozen books. Previous CSS Publishing titles by Pastor Bouwer include Political Christianity and Humming Till the Music Returns. He has been a consistent contributor to Emphasis: A Preaching Journal since 2004 and is one of several authors featured in Navigating the Sermon. Pastor Brouwer resides in Holland, Michigan, with his wife Brenda and they are the parents of three daughters.
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Commentary

Emphasis Preaching Journal

People you can count on -- Exodus 1:8--2:10, Romans 12:1-8, Matthew 16:13-20, Psalm 124 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
Some years ago, a major research firm conducted a survey to determine what people would be willing t
Finding safety in the call of the wild -- Acts 2:42-47, 1 Peter 2:19-25, John 10:1-10, Psalm 23 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A
There are two themes that run through the passages for today.
Breaking boxes -- Acts 10:34-43, Colossians 3:1-4, John 20:1-18 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Easter Day - A
The central message of Christian faith is that Jesus was raised from the dead.
The day God got lonely -- Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11, Psalm 32 -- Wayne Brouwer -- First Sunday in Lent - A
Today is the first Sunday during Lent. This is an important fact to note.
Living in unsafe neighborhoods -- Genesis 25:19-34, Romans 8:1-11, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, Psalm 119:105-112 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A
We vacationed recently on Hilton Head Island.
Building a new team -- Mark 8:31-38, Romans 4:13-25, Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Second Sunday in Lent - B
When Vince Lombardi was hired as head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 1958, the team was in dismal
Starting over -- John 12:20-33, Hebrews 5:5-10, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalm 51:1-12 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B
A college professor presented his class syllabus on the first day of the new semester.
Spiritual chinook -- John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15, Romans 8:22-27, Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 104:24-34, 35b -- Wayne Brouwer -- Day of Pentecost - B
In northern parts of the United States winter weather reports include phrases like "cold
Leveraging the family genome -- John 15:1-8, 1 John 4:7-21, Acts 8:26-40, Psalm 22:25-31 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B
Roman historian, Herodotus, told of the pride the Egyptians had in being the oldest
Looking for heroes -- Mark 4:35-41, 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, 1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49, Psalm 9:9-20 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B
The year was 1934. Times were difficult around the world. Times were especially
Know thyself -- 2 Samuel 11:26--12:13a, Ephesians 4:1-16, John 6:24-35, Psalm 51:1-12 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - B
While this famous Greek maxim is attributed to any number of ancient Greek
Shall we dance? -- 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19, Ephesians 1:3-14, Mark 6:14-29, Psalm 24 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B
In both its original Japanese and later American versions the movie, Shall We
Changing times -- Isaiah 40:1-11, 2 Peter 3:8-15a, Mark 1:1-8 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Advent reminds us of the flow of time. We are all bound by time.
Midterm exams -- Judges 4:1-7, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Matthew 25:14-30 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A
At the college where I teach in the religion department, we are just past midterm exams.
Testimonies -- Deuteronomy 34:1-12, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Matthew 22:34-46 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - A
In Susan Howatch's novel, Absolute Truths, the main character is a rather perfect man.

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The Immediate Word

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For February 15, 2026:

CSSPlus

Bethany Peerbolte
The disciples see Jesus transfigured with Moses and Elijah, and then Jesus tells them to tell no one. I don’t think I would have been up for the task of keeping that secret. I know this because the first time I played The Green Wall a friend told me the secret and I had the hardest time not telling everyone else the answer.
Good morning, boys and girls. Kermit the Frog came along with me this morning. How many of you watch Kermit on public television? (Let them answer.) I've watched a bit of Kermit myself. One of the things he does that I like the best is when he pre tends that he is a television newscaster. When he does this he always reports events as an eyewitness. How many of you like his eyewitness TV reports? (Wait for a show of hands.) Can anyone tell me what it means to be an eyewitness? (Let someone answer.) It means that someone actually saw an event take place. That
SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME

Materials:
Blue construction paper
White cotton balls
Glue
Alphabet pasta

Directions:

1. Give each of the children a piece of blue construction paper.

2. Tell the children to use the cotton balls to make clouds and glue them onto the paper.

3. Have the children use the pasta letters to spell, "Listen to him," by gluing the letters on the blue construction paper under the cotton ball clouds.
And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. (v. 2)

Good morning, boys and girls. Today is the Transfiguration of our Lord and it is one of the special days of the church year. Today we talk about Jesus changing in several ways while three of his disciples -- Peter, James, and John -- watched. How did he change? The Bible says that the face of Jesus became as bright as the sun and his clothes became gleaming white. There were other things that happened that the disciples remembered and

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Transfiguration is a celebration of God’s glory and how that glory is revealed in Christ when he was transfigured. The festival was observed as early as the sixth century in Eastern Christianity, but did not become a festival in the Catholic Church and its Protestant heirs until just 70 years prior to the Reformation. Sermons in line with this festival will aim to focus the flock on coming to appreciate a bigger, more majestic picture of God and Christ than what they brought to church. Assurance will be provided that this majestic God overcomes all evil.
William H. Shepherd
It was the most boring sermon I ever heard, until it became the most interesting.

At first, I did not understand what had come over my student. Up to this point in the class, I thought she had been getting it. She laughed when I quoted Kierkegaard, "Boredom is the root of all evils." She nodded her head when I said that the dullest presentation would not be redeemed by the soundest content. Her critiques of the other students' sermons were right on target.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
When Jesus was transfigured up on the mountain, God said, "This is my son whom I love, listen to him." In our worship today, let us listen to Jesus.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I find it difficult to hear your voice.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I hear so many voices that I don't know which voice is yours.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I turn away from your voice because I don't want to hear it.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt
Contents
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "Seeing Clearly"
Shining Moments: "Charlie Is Glowing" by Deb Alexander
"The Horse Whisperer" by William Lee Rand
Scrap Pile: "Picture This" by John Sumwalt


What's Up This Week
by John Sumwalt

Argile Smith
Keith Hewitt
Peter Andrew Smith
David O. Bales
Contents
What's Up This Week
"Glenda's Surprise" by Argile Smith
"It Was Just My Imagination" by Keith Hewitt
"The Terrible Dark Day" by Peter Andrew Smith
"In Secret" by David Bales


What's Up This Week

SermonStudio

Mark Wm. Radecke
You go into the movie theatre, find a seat that's suitable, clamber over some poor innocent slumbering in the aisle seat, taking pains not to step on toes or lose your balance. You find a place for your coat, sit down, and get ready to watch the movie. The house lights dim; the speakers crackle as the dust and scratches on the soundtrack are translated into static, and an image appears on the screen. It is not the film you came to see. It is the preview of coming attractions, a brief glimpse of the highlights of a film opening soon.
John N. Brittain
Leslie D. Weatherhead, the great British preacher who served many years at City Temple on Holborn Viaduct in London, told the story of the elderly gentlemen who sat on the benches near the church trading stories. As one might expect, in addition to the good old days, a popular topic of conversation was their aches, pains, and ailments. "I have heard that such-and-such a clinic has a very effective regimen of treatment for this," one fellow would say. "Well, I understand that Dr. So-and-So is very efficacious in dealing with this particular ailment," another would counter.
Stephen M. Crotts
Grandma was well into her eighties when she saw her first basketball game. It was a high school contest in which two of her great-grandsons played. She watched the action with great interest. Afterwards everyone piled into the van to get some ice cream, and a grandson inquired, "Grandmama, what did you think of the game?" "I sure liked it fine," she chirped. And then a little hesitantly she added, "But I think the kids would have had more fun if somebody had made the fellow with the whistle leave the players alone!"
R. Glen Miles
Whenever I read from the book of Exodus, especially a text which includes a visit by Moses to the mountaintop to be in the presence of God, I get an image in my mind of Charlton Heston in the movie version of The Ten Commandments. I'll bet you have that problem too, don't you? It doesn't matter if you were born a decade or two since that movie was first released. It gets a lot of play on television, especially during "holy seasons" of the year like Easter.
Joe E. Pennel, Jr
Remember that fog we had last November? I had to venture into it early that Sunday morning. I left home about 6:00 a.m., long before most people even thought about getting up. The fog was dense. My automobile headlights would not cut it. Visibility was reduced to about ten feet. I turned on my dimmer lights and hoped that on-coming traffic would do the same. As I drove, I felt like my car was pushing through a tunnel of smoke.
John T. Ball
There is an old story about a Sunday school teacher who asked a young girl in her class why her little brother wasn't coming to Sunday school any longer. The girl replied, "Well, to tell the truth, he just can't stand Jesus!" Her brother had more of Jesus than he wanted.
Thom M. Shuman
Call To Worship
One: We gather as the faithful of God,
we come to listen to what God has to say to us.
All: God has invited us to this place;
may our faces reflect our hopes and our hearts.
One: We gather as the faithful of God,
people of the new covenant of hope and promise.
All: We boldly enter into the presence of God,
hoping to be transformed into new people.
One: We gather as the faithful of God,
our fears melting away in the heart of God.
All: We come to share in the freedom of the Spirit,
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
Gathering Litany
Divide the congregation into two parts (left and right would be easiest here) with the choir or assisting minister as a third voice besides the pastor (marked "L" in this litany).

L: Looking for the Light.
I: Looking for the Light.
II: Looking for the Light.
P: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
L: Looking for the Light.
I: Looking for the Light.
II: Looking for the Light.
P: Do not be afraid.

Intercessory Prayers

Special Occasion

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