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Wayne Brouwer

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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

The calm at the center -- Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28, Romans 10:5-15, Matthew 14:22-33 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - A -- 2014
One Chinese word-symbol for "doubt" is a caricature of a person with each foot in a different canoe.
Tough beginnings -- Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11 -- Wayne Brouwer -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 2014
Ancient Israel's calendar of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly markers was not so much a schedule o
A world turned upside down -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Maundy Thursday - A -- 2014
In 17th-century England, under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell and his righteous Puritanism, Parli
Easter living -- Acts 2:42-47, 1 Peter 2:19-25, John 10:1-10 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2014
"A grave is a sobering thing," said Wordsworth.
Harvest time -- Acts 2:1-21, 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13, John 20:19-23 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 2014
An ancient Jewish legend declares, "Pentecost is the day on which Torah was given." One wonders whet
Choices -- Genesis 25:19-34, Romans 8:1-11, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A -- 2014
As parents, we want to influence our children.
The music of grace -- Exodus 32:1-14, Philippians 4:1-9, Matthew 22:1-14 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A -- 2014
His shrunken frame and age-diminished voice were almost lost at the front of our large church audito
Live like you were dying -- Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:1-13 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - A -- 2014
A well-rounded biblical moral lifestyle is established on four primary foundational principles:
Anticipation -- Isaiah 64:1-9, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Mark 13:24-37 -- Wayne Brouwer -- First Sunday of Advent - B -- 2014
A well-rounded biblical "Screw your courage to the sticking-place," says Lady Macbeth to her doomed
Shine, Jesus, shine! -- Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 2013
In their book Resident Aliens, Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon tell the story of a Unit
Do the right thing -- Isaiah 43:16-21, Philippians 3:4b-14, John 12:1-8 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - C -- 2013
There is a series of television advertisements about a financial company that puts forward the thesi
Witnesses -- Acts 5:27-32, Revelation 1:4b-8, John 20:19-31, Revelation 1:4-8 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2013
There is a marvelous little story tucked away in the pages of Edward Gibbon's seven-volume work T
Home -- Acts 16:9-15, Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5, John 14:23-29 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2013
Last year Phil Phillips won the American Idol competition based in part on his powerful rendi
Great expectations -- Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31, Romans 5:1-5, John 16:12-15 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - C -- 2013
It was Charles Dickens who prodded us to think about hope in his wonderful novel Great Expectatio
Miracles -- 1 Kings 17:8-16 (17-24), Galatians 1:11-24, Luke 7:11-17 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - C -- 2013
Charles Darwin grew up in a Christian home, yet later in life he rejected Christianity's hold on him
Commitment -- 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14, Galatians 5:1, 13-25, Luke 9:51-62 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - C -- 2013
When Louis Pasteur was researching the deadly anthrax virus, he found that once a cow that had the d
Defining our destinies -- Amos 8:1-12, Colossians 1:15-28, Luke 10:38-42 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 2013
During World War II the English government knew that Hitler was planning to invade the British Isles
Trust -- Isaiah 1:1, 10-20, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16, Luke 12:32-40 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - C -- 2013
Some years ago, when Dick Shepard was the vicar of an Anglican parish in London, England, he had a d
Remembering who we are -- Jeremiah 2:4-13, Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16, Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2013
When Mahatma Gandhi traveled from his India homeland as a young man and studied for a time in Englan
Intercession -- Jeremiah 8:18--9:1, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Luke 16:1-13 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C -- 2013
When our oldest daughter began driver's training she needed to spend fifty hours behind the wheel of
Exiles, outcasts, and home -- Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Luke 17:11-19 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2013
When he summarized the formation of Latino identity, Gregory Rodriguez titled his social history
Under pressure -- Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12, Luke 19:1-10 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - C -- 2013
One of the British band Queen's greatest hits is a testimony of modern life.
Party time! -- Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Philippians 4:4-9, John 6:25-35 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2013
During the Middle Ages, parts of Europe had a wonderfully unusual annual celebration called the Feas
Baby changes everything -- Isaiah 7:10-16, Romans 1:1-7, Matthew 1:18-25 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - A -- 2013
As one congregation went through years of great growth and expansion, it became obvious that there c
From centripetal to centrifugal -- Isaiah 42:1-9, Acts 10:34-43, Matthew 3:13-17 -- Wayne Brouwer -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - A -- 2013
In God's initial encounter with Abram, recorded in Genesis 12, it is clear that the relationship bet

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