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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

No Fear -- Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:14-17, John 14:8-17 (25-27), Psalm 104:24-34, 35b -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2010
A woman struggling through the difficulties of the Great Depression went to the front desk of an ins
By their fruits -- 1 Kings 21:1-10 (11-14) 15-21a, Galatians 2:15-21, Luke 7:36--8:3, Psalm 5:1-8 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - C -- 2010
Margaret Mead, the world-renowned anthropologist, was speaking at a university and one student asked
What you sow ... -- 2 Kings 5:1-14, Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16, Luke 10:1-11, 16-20, Psalm 30 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C -- 2010
One of my favorite farming tales is of a pastor in a rural congregation who was tired of hearing peo
Family ties -- Hosea 1:2-10, Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19), Luke 11:1-13, Psalm 85 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C -- 2010
Channing Pollack used to tell a devastating tale of something that happened to him as a young boy.
Sober reflections -- Isaiah 5:1-7, Hebrews 11:29--12:2, Luke 12:49-56, Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 2010
My memories of my great-grandmother Bolt are very vague.
Forfeiting to win -- Jeremiah 18:1-11, Philemon 1:1-21, Luke 14:25-33, Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - C -- 2010
Our youngest daughter was born in Nigeria while I was teaching at the Reformed Theological College i
Sale price -- Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15, 1 Timothy 6:6-19, Luke 16:19-31, Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C -- 2010
A friend of mine once described a man he knew as someone who "knew the cost of everything and the va
Patience -- Jeremiah 31:27-34, 2 Timothy 3:14--4:5, Luke 18:1-8, Psalm 119:97-104 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - C -- 2010
Patience is a tough virtue, slipping from our grasp in the moment of demand.
Happy hallow… -- Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12, Luke 19:1-10, Psalm 119:137-144 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - C -- 2010
Is today Halloween or Reformation Day?
Politics and religion -- Jeremiah 23:1-6, Colossians 1:11-20, Luke 23:33-43, Luke 1:68-79 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - C -- 2010
Once King George and Queen Elizabeth went to a London theater to see a Noel Coward/Gertrude Lawrence
The peaceable kingdom -- Isaiah 11:1-10, Romans 15:4-13, Matthew 3:1-12, Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Second Sunday of Advent - A -- 2010
What difference does my life make for others around me?
In praise of praise -- Isaiah 63:7-9, Hebrews 2:10-18, Matthew 2:13-23, Psalm 148 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2010
Our English word "carol" emerged from the public celebrations of late Medieval France.
Here comes Jesus -- Isaiah 42:1-9, Acts 10:34-43, Matthew 3:13-17, Psalm 29 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - A -- 2010
It was a new gospel hit when I was a teen, with words taken from a classic spiritual out of mind and
Becoming what we were meant to be -- Isaiah 49:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, John 1:29-42, Psalm 40:1-11 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - A -- 2010
Mine is a family of book lovers.
Internal medicine -- Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12), 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16), Matthew 5:13-20 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - A -- 2010
Some years ago Europa Times carried a story in which Mussa Zoabi of Israel claimed to be the
The worry test -- Isaiah 49:8-16a, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Matthew 6:24-34, Psalm 131 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Epiphany 8 | Ordinary Time 8 - A -- 2010
For a time, many years ago, the most popular song around the world was Bobbie McFarrin's little tune
A Mighty Wind -- Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:22-27, John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15, Psalm 104:24-34, 35b -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2009
Note: This installment was originally published in 2009.
Shifting currents -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Ephesians 5:8-14, John 9:1-41, Psalm 23 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
Most twentieth-century predictions about life in this new millennium have proved widely
I'll never forget that night ... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-17, 31b-35, Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Maundy Thursday - A -- 2008
Years ago, a band called Lobo sang about an international memorable event. Describing
Proof of life -- Acts 2:14a, 22-32, 1 Peter 1:3-9, John 20:19-31, Psalm 16 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
One of my good friends died last year. He had reached a good age and was mostly ready
Jesus is the answer -- Acts 7:55-60, 1 Peter 2:2-10, John 14:1-14, Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Decades ago, Andre Crouch's chorus "Jesus Is The Answer" was sung in every corner of
Invisible link -- Acts 1:6-14, 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11, John 17:1-11, Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Now and again, one of my students will come into class and I'll greet her or him, but get
The worry test -- Isaiah 49:8-16a, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Matthew 6:24-34, Psalm 131 -- Wayne Brouwer -- 2008
Remember when the most popular song around the world was Bobby McFerrin's little
Promises, promises -- Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7), Romans 5:1-8, Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23), Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - A -- 2008
Psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, often wrote about the meaninglessness of his patients' lives.
A marriage made in heaven -- Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67, Romans 7:15-25a, Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30, Psalm 45:10-17 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - A -- 2008
In 1967, a psychologist named Kinch reported a rather bizarre experiment conducted by

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New & Featured This Week

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
In the sometimes-tiresome debate over science and scripture with respect to creation, it’s easy to become distracted. While the argument typically requires a focus on the how, we may lose sight of the what. And so, for just a moment, let me invite us to think for a moment about what God created.
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Acts 8:26-40
As a local church pastor, I was often asked if I would baptize a child whose family were not members of the church. Some churches rebelled against this, but I remember this scripture -the hunger for understanding and inclusion of the Eunuch and Philp’s response – to teach and share and baptize in the name of our God. How could we turn anyone away from the rite of baptism?

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Dad, I think you worked a miracle.” Rolf slowly walked around the tree. “After that windstorm, I assumed this tree was as good as gone.”

“We just needed to give the branches time to heal and come back,” Michael replied.

 “I know, but so many of them were battered and broken I figured that it couldn’t recover. Now though it looks just like it did before the storm.” Rolf paused. “Do you think it will bear any fruit this summer?”

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A live plant that produces fruit, and a broken branch from that plant. I used a tomato plant from a local greenhouse. Ideally, find a plant with blossoms or small fruit already growing. If you use a different kind of fruit-producing plant, just change the script to fit.

* * *

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

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Elena Delhagen
Dean Feldmeyer
Quantisha Mason-Doll
For April 28, 2024:
  • On The Way To Gaza by Chris Keating based on Acts 8:26-40. On the way to Gaza, Philip discovers the startling ways the Spirit of God moves across borders, boundaries, customs, and traditions.
  • Second Thoughts: Abiding by Katy Stenta based on John 15:1-8.
  • Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Tom Willadsen, Elena Delhagen, Dean Feldmeyer.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. In our service today, let us absorb from the vine all the nourishment we need.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes our branches become cut off from the vine.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes our branches are withered.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we fail to produce good fruit.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Stan Purdum
We will meet Psalm 22 in its entirety on Good Friday, but here the lectionary designates just verses 23-31. The lectionary psalms generally illuminate the week's First Lesson, which in this case is about the covenant initiated by God with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17. The nine verses from this psalm, while not inappropriate, nonetheless leave us looking for an obvious connection with the First Lesson.

John S. Smylie
I think some people are natural-born gardeners. Our Lord grew up in a society that was familiar with agriculture. The images that he used to explain the ways of his Father in heaven are familiar to his audience. Growing up, my closest experience to agriculture was living in, "the Garden State." Most people, when they pass through New Jersey, are surprised to see that expression on the license plates of vehicles registered in New Jersey. Most folks traveling through New Jersey experience the megalopolis, the corridor between New York City and Washington DC.
Ron Lavin
A pastor in Indiana went to visit an 87-year-old man named Ermil, who was a hospital patient. A member of his church told the pastor about this old man who was an acquaintance. "He's not a believer, but he is really in need," the church member said. "I met him at the county home for the elderly. He's a lonely old man with no family and no money."

Paul E. Robinson
"Love is a many splendored thing...." Or so we heard Don Cornwall and the Four Aces sing time and again. Of course you or I might have other words to describe love, depending on our situation.

Love. "I love you." "I love to play golf." "I just love pistachio lush!" "It's tough to love some people." "Jesus loves me, this I know."

Love.

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