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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

A thousand points of light -- Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, John 1:6-8, 19-28 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Third Sunday of Advent - B -- 2017
Caught in a Darkness at sea too terrifying for words, a Darkness that crawled and oozed and grabbed
Shine, Jesus, Shine! -- Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2016
In their book Resident Aliens, Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon tell the story of a Un
Love that hurts -- Joel 2:1-2, 12-17, 2 Corinthians 5:20b--6:10, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Ash Wednesday - C -- 2016
The story is told of a young girl whose very best friend lived just down the street.
Transitions -- Isaiah 43:16-21, Philippians 3:4b-14, John 12:1-8 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - C -- 2016
The bride-to-be was obviously nervous.
Testimony -- Acts 9:1-6 (7-20), Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2016
In 1637, Eilenburg, Saxony, was surrounded by the dark night of the soul. Europe was at war.
Powerful prayer -- Acts 16:16-34, Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21, John 17:20-26 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - C -- 2016
Dr. James Dobson tells a story about his son when he was just a little fellow.
Seeing beyond -- 1 Kings 19:1-4, Galatians 3:23-29, Luke 8:26-39 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - C -- 2016
In Morris West’s novel The Clowns of God, there’s a powerful scene where a father and his d
Personal testimony -- Hosea 1:2-10, Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19), Luke 11:1-13 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C -- 2016
Victor Hugo called his masterpiece Les Miserables a religious work. So it is.
Lying eyes, crying eyes -- Jeremiah 2:4-13, Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16, Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2016
The great composer Felix Mendelssohn loved to tell the marvelous story of how his grandparents Moses
Grace: reinterpreting our lives -- Lamentations 1:1-6, 2 Timothy 1:1-14, Luke 17:5-10 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C -- 2016
One college professor presented his class syllabus on the first day of the new semester.
Eschatological ethics -- Haggai 1:15b--2:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17, Luke 20:27-38 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C -- 2016
There is a powerful scene in Herman Melville’s great epic Moby Dick, where peglegged Captai
The right gift -- Isaiah 7:10-16, Romans 1:1-7, Matthew 1:18-25 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - A -- 2016
Some gifts we receive are simply add-ons to the polite niceties of the relationship.
After the storm -- Isaiah 11:1-10, Romans 15:4-13, Matthew 3:1-12 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Second Sunday of Advent - A -- 2016
What difference does my life make for others around me? What difference does anyone’s life make?
A place at the table -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2015
Here’s a parable: a man is convicted of a criminal act.
Prophet -- Deuteronomy 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Mark 1:21-28 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 2015
When the nation of Israel came out of Egypt and met God at Mount Sinai, there was a political tra
Of jungles and gardens -- Acts 8:26-40, 1 John 4:7-21, John 15:1-8 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2015
After Margaret Mead, the world-renowned anthropologist, gave a presentation at a university, she hos
Conflicting expectations -- 1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20, 2 Corinthians 4:13--5:1, Mark 3:20-35 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - B -- 2015
The year was 1934.
Shattered dreams and reviving hopes -- 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33, Ephesians 4:25--5:2, John 6:35, 41-51 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - B -- 2015
A Jewish boy in Europe grew up with a profound sense of admiration for his father.
Compassion: the language of heaven -- 2 Samuel 7:1-14a, Ephesians 2:11-22, Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 2015
Ian Maclaren tells the story of a young woman in his book Beside the Bon­nie Briar Bush.
Wordsmithing -- Proverbs 1:20-33, James 3:1-12, Mark 8:27-38 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2015
A Jewish rabbi was officiating at the funeral of a woman from his congregation.
Beyond consumerism -- Job 23:1-9, 16-17, Hebrews 4:12-16, Mark 10:17-31 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2015
I know a mother who remembers an embarrassing moment that happened when she went with her daughter’s
The good voice of poverty -- Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17, Hebrews 9:24-28, Mark 12:38-44 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - B -- 2015
In my times of great energy and passionate success, I never think about death. I was born to live!
Born a child and yet a king -- Micah 5:2-5a, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - C -- 2015
One morning in 1872, David Livingstone wrote this in his diary: “March 19, my birthday.
At the gate of the year -- Ecclesiastes 3:1-13, Revelation 21:1-6a, Matthew 25:31-46 -- Wayne Brouwer -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2014
Time is the news of the day. Yesterday was yesteryear.
Living as if faith matters -- Exodus 14:19-31, Romans 14:1-12, Matthew 18:21-35 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - A -- 2014
When Eric Lomax was posted to Singapore in 1941 he knew nothing of the horror that lay ahead of him.

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The Immediate Word

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Dean Feldmeyer
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Katy Stenta
George Reed
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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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