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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

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
Fasting, faith, and focus -- Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12), 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16), Matthew 5:13-20 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - A -- 2013
Bernarr Macfadden, who once had a wide following in North America, said that everybody should fast n
Power alignment -- Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22, James 5:13-20, Mark 9:38-50 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - B -- 2012
Fred was a big man with a big heart.
Who we are is whose we are -- Job 38:1-7 (34-41), Hebrews 5:1-10, Mark 10:35-45 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 2012
Every parent of young children can identify with this: A little boy was asked his name, and he repli
Challenged -- 1 Samuel 1:4-20, Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25, Mark 13:1-8 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 2012
Rabbi Harold Kushner remembered a scene from a television program that he saw years ago.
Hearing a familiar voice -- Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9, Revelation 21:1-6a, John 11:32-44 -- Wayne Brouwer -- All Saints Day - B -- 2012
One of the greatest marketing trademarks of all time was built on Francis Barraud's 1899 painting of
Hanging onto hope -- Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Luke 21:25-36 -- Wayne Brouwer -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2012
Advent is, for the church, a solid hook in the vast, uncharted, chaotic voids of space, allowing us

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Stories

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Easter 2
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170+ – Illustrations / Stories
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Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: An orange and a lemon that are about the same size and shape, a knife, a cutting board, orange and yellow paint, and some paper towels. Prepare the fruit by painting the lemon orange, and the orange, yellow. The more alike they look, the better.

* * *

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

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
For May 11, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
Tinkerbell is the delightful sprite in Peter Pan who drifts between the world of senses and the world of magic. She sprinkles “fairy dust” to make children fly; she sparkles around Peter Pan as a comrade adventurer.

Once, in one episode of a televised version of Peter Pan, Tin­kerbell ingested some poison. There was nothing to be seen of her, tiny thing that she was, other than the brightness of her little light. But with the poison, her light began to fade. Before our very eyes she grew dimmer, pulsing with a weakening glow.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Acts 9:36-43
Cryonics is an interesting and, if I’m honest, disturbing practice. You might be wondering, what is cryonics? The aim of cryonics, according to Dennis Kowalski, the president of the Cryonics Institute in Michigan, is to “keep bodies in a stable, preserved state until the necessary medical technology arrives.” As of June 1, 2024, there were about five hundred people who have tried to keep themselves preserved for future medical advances to revive.

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Hello, Peter. Come on in to the office,” Pastor Carl held open the door for him. “Oh, don’t worry about your shoes.”

“They’re muddy and I really should take them off,” Peter said. “Besides if I don’t, I’ll be hearing my mother’s voice telling me to take them off before coming into your office.”

Pastor Carl smiled. “Fair enough.”

After a few moments, Peter took the offered seat across from Pastor Carl.

“So how are you finding our church?” Pastor Carl asked. “I know you mentioned we’re a bit more casual and smaller than you are used to.”

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
Jesus said that he gives eternal life to those who follow him. As we worship God today, let us believe in his words so that we too may enjoy the Life that he offers.



Invitation to Confession:

 Jesus, sometimes we leave you out of our lives.
Lord, have mercy.

 Jesus, sometimes we are disappointed because you don't answer prayers in the way that we wish.
Christ, have mercy.

 Jesus, sometimes we refuse to believe that you still act in our lives today.

SermonStudio

David E. Leininger
Women have always been uniquely important in the life of the church, whether or not men want to admit it. It started with Mary. Women were accorded special status during Jesus' ministry; in fact, it was probably women who were major financial supporters of the itinerant rabbi and his friends. Women were the first witnesses to the resurrection. This is not a feminist statement but a factual statement: from the first day to this day, if it were not for the women, there would be no church. It is that simple.

Donald Charles Lacy
History shows that people are invariably looking for Messiahs or Christs. There is that special person who is to come among them and, in a sense, do for them what they cannot do for themselves. Even for years after our Lord arose from the dead and ascended -- yes, and still at this moment -- people are looking.

Henry F. Woodruff
Now you can't even trust the police. When I was a child growing up in Texas, everyone knew how to spot the police cars: they were big old Ford Crown Victorias, painted black with white doors, sporting black wall tires with little moon hubcaps -- or, if they really wanted to be sneaky and fool you, they were big old Ford Crown Victorias painted gray, with whip antennas and license plates that read "City" on them. You could bet the farm on it. Now all that has changed. Police cars are all different makes and models and colors.
Clyde W. Wentzell
1. O my Good Shepherd, O Lord of my soul,
Keep me forever beneath your control.
In right paths lead me for your name’s sake.
All the best choices, Lord, help me to make.

2. When through dark valleys my walk is severe,
Keep me from evil, Lord, ever be near.
Your rod and staff, my discipline be,
O my Good Shepherd, keep watch over me.

3. You spread a table of bountiful store.
Rich are your mercies and love evermore.
Oil on the head, anointing most pure,
Flows in abundance as your love is sure.

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