Login / Signup

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.
Hold down Ctrl (Windows) / Command (Mac) for multiple selections (scroll list to see all options)

Commentary

Emphasis Preaching Journal

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
Time after time -- 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 -- 2012
Time is the news of the day. Yesterday was yesteryear.
Wedding day -- Isaiah 62:1-5, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, John 2:1-11 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - C -- 2012
The bride was obviously nervous. She could hardly get through the wedding rehearsal.
Tears -- Genesis 15:1-12 (17-18), Philippians 3:17--4:1, Luke 13:31-35 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Second Sunday in Lent - C -- 2012
"As luck would have it, providence was on my side!" wrote Samuel Butler. But what does that mean?
Glow-in-the-dark -- Exodus 34:29-35, 2 Corinthians 3:12--4:2, Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a) -- Wayne Brouwer -- Transfiguration Sunday - C -- 2012
The story of Madame Curie is more fascinating than most fictional novels.
Looking for a king in a democratic age -- Micah 5:2-5a, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - C -- 2012
One morning in 1872, David Livingstone wrote this in his diary: “March 19, my birthday.
When everything old becomes new -- Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 5:5-10, John 12:20-33 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B -- 2012
Here's a parable: a man is convicted of a criminal act.
Seeing the world through Abraham's eyes -- Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16, Romans 4:13-25, Mark 8:31-38 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2012
Scott Camp told of a university student who was working on a doctorate investigating the social cult
It's all about Jesus -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Hebrews 10:16-25, John 18:1--19:42 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Good Friday - B -- 2012
The story of God's love in the Bible focuses on Jesus. But Jesus did not appear in a vacuum.
Somebody with skin on -- Acts 10:44-48, 1 John 5:1-6, John 15:9-17 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2012
It was a dark and stormy night. Lightning flashed and thunder crashed.
Harvest hope -- Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:22-27, John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2012
An ancient Jewish writing declares, "Pentecost is the day on which Torah was given." According to th
What kind of kingdom? -- 1 Samuel 15:34--16:13, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13) 14-17, Mark 4:26-34 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - B -- 2012
When I was in high school a new music teacher came to town.
Home -- 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10, 2 Corinthians 12:2-10, Mark 6:1-13 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 2012
One day in l748, the hymn writer Charles Wesley was in a dark and somber frame of mind.
Character -- 2 Samuel 11:1-15, Ephesians 3:14-21, John 6:1-21 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - B -- 2012
Every parent of young children can identify with this: a little boy was asked his name, and he repli
Meandering -- 2 Samuel 11:26--12:13a, Ephesians 4:1-16, John 6:24-35 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - B -- 2012
Wanderers meander.
Wisdom -- 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14, Ephesians 5:15-20, John 6:51-58 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 2012
Ibn Saud was the first modern king of Saudi Arabia.
Human price tags -- Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23, James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17, Mark 7:24-37 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2012
Soren Kierkegaard once wrote of a strange break-in at a large store in his native Denmark where the
Hindsight, foresight, and insight -- Proverbs 1:20-33, James 3:1-12, Mark 8:27-38 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2012
A boy in first grade came home from school and told his mother that his class had had a substitute t
Religion and politics -- Exodus 33:12-23, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Matthew 22:15-22 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A -- 2011
"Politics are almost as exciting as war and quite as dangerous!" said Winston Churchill.
Testimonies -- Deuteronomy 34:1-12, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Matthew 22:34-46 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - A -- 2011
In Susan Howatch's novel Absolute Truths, the main character is a rather perfect man.
Only the grateful believe -- Deuteronomy 8:7-18, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Luke 17:11-19 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Thanksgiving Day - A -- 2011
A schoolteacher asked her students to make a list of the things for which they were thankful.

Illustration

Sermon

Stories

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 23 | OT 28 | Pentecost 18
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 24 | OT 29 | Pentecost 19
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 25 | OT 30 | Pentecost 20
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Katy Stenta
George Reed
For November 2, 2025:
Thomas Willadsen
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Katy Stenta
George Reed
For November 2, 2025:

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This message involves roleplay. You will need a chair for Zach to stand on, unless it is ok for him to stand on a front pew. For the best fun, you will also want to have an adult volunteer play the role of Jesus and walk in when it is time. Whether he is in costume is up to you.

* * *
John Jamison
Object: You will need one or more pictures of people recognized as saints. You may find some pictures by Googling “public domain pictures of saints” and printing images from the results.

* * *

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 and Psalm 119:137-144
Walter Elwell in the Shaw Pocket Bible Handbook notes of righteousness that it is, “Right standing, specifically before God. Among the Greeks, righteousness was an ethical virtue. Among the Hebrews it was a legal concept; the righteous man was the one who got the verdict of acceptability when tried at the bar of God’s justice.” God is a righteous God, even when is people are not righteous.
Frank Ramirez
One of the features of Synagogue worship is the Shema. The Hebrew word is “Hear!” and is the opening for Deuteronomy 6:4-5, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” God’s people are commanded to “hear” these words. They come from the Lord. And these three scriptures invite us to hear God and each other, something that is lacking in our society today.
Wayne Brouwer
Fred Craddock tells of a vacation encounter in the Smokey Mountains of eastern Tennessee years ago that moved him deeply. He and his wife took supper one evening in a place called the Black Bear Inn. One side of the building was all glass, open to a magnificent mountain view. Glad to be alone, the Craddocks were a bit annoyed when an elderly man ambled over and struck up a nosey conversation: “Are you on vacation?” “Where are you from?” “What do you do?”
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 and Psalm 149

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, but your commandments are my delight. Your statutes are always righteous; give me understanding that I may live. (vv. 143-144)

When I was an associate pastor in Janesville, Wisconsin one of my responsibilities was to give a lecture on spirituality once a month at a drug treatment facility. The students who attended were persons who had been convicted of drunk driving and were required to attend the class as a condition of their sentence. Attendance was always good.
Frank Ramirez
Call them the good old days. Call it the Golden Age. It’s not unusual for people to look back in their youth, or to the youth of their country, as somehow more perfect, honorable, or simpler. C.S. Lewis was always skeptical about claims that chocolate was better in one’s youth. It wasn’t better. Our taste buds were stronger and more receptive.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
The Roman Catholic Church's canonisation of Edith Stein some years ago, fuelled considerable controversy. Edith Stein was born and bred into a Jewish family, becoming a Roman Catholic Christian at the age of 31. She was also a leading German intellectual in the early thirties, during the run-up to World War 2, although she gave up that career in order to become a Carmelite nun. But she didn't deny her Jewish roots, for in 1933 she petitioned the Pope, Pious XI to write an encyclical in defence of the Jews.
Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus didn't reject anyone, even those who were liars and cheats. By a simple act of friendship Jesus turned Zaccheus' life around. In our worship today let us consider friendship and all that it means.


Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, there are some people I don't like.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, there are some people I reject.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, there are some people I keep out of my circle of friends.
Lord, have mercy.


Reading:

SermonStudio

Carlos Wilton
Theme For The Day
The world offers many blessings, but none of these things will save us: only the blessing of God in Jesus Christ can do that.

Old Testament Lesson
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Daniel's Apocalyptic Dream
Perry H. Biddle, Jr.
Comments on the Lessons
John W. Clarke
This chapter of Luke brings us ever closer to the end of Jesus' public ministry. Jesus enters Jericho, just fifteen miles or so from the holy city of Jerusalem. It is here that Jesus transforms the life of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. This is one of the few stories that is peculiar to Luke and is a wonderful human-interest story. The fact that Zacchaeus is willing to climb a tree to see Jesus is a clear indication that he really wanted to see and meet the carpenter from Nazareth. His eagerness to see Jesus is rewarded in a very special way.
Scott A. Bryte
Then he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
Mark Ellingson
This is a story written for people who had been or were about to be persecuted, if not enslaved. (The book of Daniel was probably written in the mid-second century B.C. during a period of Seleucid [Syrian] domination in Palestine.) It tells them and us how their ancestors had once faced a similar slavery under the oppression of the Babylonians centuries earlier. The implication was that if these ancestors could endure and overcome such bondage, so could they and so can we.
Gary L. Carver
Ulysses S. Grant fought many significant battles as commander of the Union forces in the War Between the States. He also served as President of the United States where he probably engaged in as many battles as he did while he was a general. Toward the end of his life he fought his toughest battle -- with cancer and death.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL