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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

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.
Greatness finding itself -- Revelation 7:9-17, 1 John 3:1-3, Matthew 5:1-12 -- Wayne Brouwer -- All Saints Day - A -- 2011
Erik Erikson's book about the early years of Martin Luther is called Greatness Finding Itself
Clothes make the man -- Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-10, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, John 1:6-8, 19-28 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Third Sunday of Advent - B -- 2011
Gottfried Keller's short story Kleider machen Leute was translated into English as Clothes
First family -- Isaiah 61:10--62:3, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke 2:22-40 -- Wayne Brouwer -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - B -- 2011
Whenever a new president is elected, tabloids and journals bump sales by profiling the arrival of th
Initiation -- Genesis 1:1-5, Acts 19:1-7, Mark 1:4-11 -- Wayne Brouwer -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 2011
Children are often naively honest, as a friend of mine found one day.
Prophet -- Deuteronomy 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Mark 1:21-28 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 2011
In 330 BC, the Greek philosopher Aristotle said that by observing a person walking he could tell som
A mountaintop experience -- Exodus 24:12-18, 2 Peter 1:16-21, Matthew 17:1-9, Psalm 2 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Transfiguration Sunday - A -- 2011
One of the cable networks has created a strange hit series.
What's new? -- 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 -- 2011
There is something strange about New Year's celebrations, if you think about it.
Are you thirsty? -- Exodus 17:1-7, Romans 5:1-11, John 4:5-42, Psalm 95 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 2011
Here's a parable by a cartoonist named Saxon. It's about a fellow who has just reached retirement.
Radioactive glow -- 2 Kings 2:1-12, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, Mark 9:2-9 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2011
It was a night to remember! Five school buddies at a friend's home overnight.
Believing is seeing -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Ephesians 5:8-14, John 9:1-41, Psalm 23 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2011
Sometimes we see people who are wide-eyed with wonder.
A good meal -- 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, Schuyler Rhodes -- Maundy Thursday - A -- 2011
When traveling through a strange town many years ago, we stopped a pedestrian and asked her, "Where
Homecoming -- Acts 2:14a, 36-41, 1 Peter 1:17-23, Luke 24:13-35, Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Third Sunday of Easter - A -- 2011
Ian Maclaren tells the story of a young woman in his book Beside the Bonnie Briar Bush.
Game plan -- Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 24:44-53, Psalm 47 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 2011
During the 1978 British firefighters strike, the army was enlisted to cover emergency services.
Defined by choices -- Genesis 22:1-14, Romans 6:12-23, Matthew 10:40-42, Psalm 13 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - A -- 2011
Robert Maynard once told how he became a writer.
Belonging -- Genesis 29:15-28, Romans 8:26-39, Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52, Psalm 105:1-11, 45b -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - A -- 2011
When I was in high school a new music teacher came to town.
Mistaken identity -- Exodus 1:8--2:10, Romans 12:1-8, Matthew 16:13-20, Psalm 124 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A -- 2011
Appearances can be deceiving.
Somebody has to pay! -- Exodus 14:19-31, Romans 14:1-12, Matthew 18:21-35, Psalm 114 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - A -- 2011
Anger is like a volcano. Deep in many of us there is a lake of pain, pure molten hurt.
Are you satisfied? -- Exodus 16:2-15, Philippians 1:21-30, Matthew 20:1-16, Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2011
When my wife was younger, her father typically ended meal times by declaring loudly that he was "suf
New -- Isaiah 43:16-21, Philippians 3:4b-14, John 12:1-8, Psalm 126 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - C -- 2010
In 1954, Marcelle Maurtette penned his play Anastasia.
Why did Jesus have to die? -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Hebrews 10:16-25, John 18:1--19:42, Psalm 22 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Good Friday - C -- 2010
While Don Richardson was a student at Prairie Bible Institute in the 1950s his heart burned in antic
Visions -- Acts 9:1-6 (7-20), Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19, Psalm 30 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2010
Giuseppe Tartini's Devil's Trill Sonata is a spectacular piece of music.
The road ahead -- Acts 16:9-15, Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5, John 14:23-29, Psalm 67 -- Wayne Brouwer, Schuyler Rhodes -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2010
When the Danish novelist, George Brandes, was a young man, he looked up to Henrik Ibsen.
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

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For December 7, 2025:

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There was an incident some years ago, when an elderly lady in some village parish in England was so fed up with the sound of the church bells ringing, that she took an axe and hacked her way through the oak door of the church. Once inside, she sliced through the bell ropes, rendering the bells permanently silent. The media loved it. There were articles in all the papers and the culprit appeared on television. The Church was less enthusiastic - and took her to court.

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(See The Epiphany Of Our Lord, Cycle A, and The Epiphany Of Our Lord, Cycle B, for alternative approaches.)

This psalm is a prayer for the king, and it asks God to extend divine rule over earth through the anointed one who sits on the throne. Although the inscription says the psalm is about Solomon, that is a scribal addition. More likely, this was a general prayer used for more than one of the Davidic kings, and it shows the common belief that the monarch would be the instrument through which God acted.

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In her Pulitzer Prize winning book, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, author Annie Dillard recalls this chilling remembrance:
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If you don't know that Christmas is a couple of weeks away, you must be living underground. And you must have no contact with any children. And you cannot have been to a mall, Wal-Mart, Walgreen's, or any other chain store since three weeks before Halloween. Christmas, probably more than any other day in the contemporary American calendar, is one of those days where impact really stretches the envelope of time not just -- like some great tragedy -- after the fact, but also in anticipation.
Tony S. Everett
One hot summer day, a young pastor decided to change the oil in his automobile for the very first time in his life. He had purchased five quarts of oil, a filter wrench, and a bucket in which to drain the used oil. He carefully and gently drove the car onto the shiny, yellow ramps and eased his way underneath his vehicle.

Charles L. Aaron, Jr.
We've gathered here today on the second Sunday of Advent to continue to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord. This task of preparing for the arrival of the Lord is not as easy as we might think it is. As in other areas of life, we find ourselves having to unlearn some things in order to see what the scriptures teach us about God's act in Jesus. We've let the culture around us snatch away much of the meaning of the birth of the Savior. We have to reclaim that meaning if we really want to be ready for what God is still doing in the miracle of Christmas.
Timothy J. Smith
As we make our way through Advent inching closer to Christmas, our days are consumed with many tasks. Our "to do" list grows each day. At times we are often out of breath and wondering if we will complete everything on our list before Christmas Day. We gather on this Second Sunday in Advent to spiritually prepare for what God has done and continues to do in our lives and in our world. We have been too busy with all our activities and tasks so that we are in danger of missing out on the miracle of Christmas.
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For his sixth grade year his family moved to the new community. They made careful preparations for the husky, freckle-faced redhead to fit in smoothly. They had meetings with teachers and principal, and practiced the route to the very school doors he would enter on the first day. "Right here will be lists of the classes with the teachers' names and students. Come to these doors and find your name on a list and go to that class."
R. Glen Miles
The text we have heard today is pleasant, maybe even reassuring. I wonder, though, how many of us will give it any significance once we leave the sanctuary? Do the words of Isaiah have any real meaning for us, or are they just far away thoughts from a time that no longer has any relevance for us today?
Susan R. Andrews
When our children were small, a nice church lady named Chris made them a child--friendly creche. All the actors in this stable drama are soft and squishy and durable - perfect to touch and rearrange - or toss across the living room in a fit of toddler frenzy. The Joseph character has always been my favorite because he looks a little wild - red yarn spiking out from his head, giving him an odd look of energy. In fact, I have renamed this character John the Baptist and in my mind substituted one of the innocuous shepherds for the more staid and solid Joseph. Why this invention?
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
Litany Of Confession
P: Wild animals flourish around us,
C: and prowl within us.
P: Injustice and inequity surround us,
C: and hide within us.
P: Vanity and pride divide us,
C: and fester within us.

A time for silent reflection

P: O God, may your love free us,
C: and may your Spirit live in us. Amen.

Prayer Of The Day

Emphasis Preaching Journal

The world and the church approach the "Mass of Christ" with a different pace, and "atmospheres" that are worlds apart. Out in the "highways and byways" tinsel and "sparkly" are everywhere, in the churches the color of the paraments and stoles is a somber violet, or in some places, blue. Through the stores and on the airwaves carols and pop tunes are up-beat, aimed at getting the spirits festive, and the pocketbooks and wallets are open.
David Kalas
In the United States just now, we're in the period between the election and the inauguration of the president. In our system, by the time they are inaugurated, our leaders are fairly familiar faces. Months of primaries and campaigning, debates and speeches, and conventions and commercials, all contribute to a fairly high degree of familiarity. We may wonder what kind of president someone will be, but we have certainly heard many promises, and we have had plenty of opportunities to get to know the candidate.
(A)
During my growing up years we had no family automobile. My father walked to work and home again. During World War II his routine at the local milk plant was somewhat irregular. As children we tried to guess when he would come. If we were wrong, we didn't worry. He always came.
Wayne Brouwer
Schuyler Rhodes
What difference does my life make for others around me? That question is addressed in three related ways in our texts for today. Isaiah raised the emblem of the Servant of Yahweh as representative for what life is supposed to be, even in the middle of a chaotic and cruel world. Paul mirrors that reflection as he announces the fulfillment of Isaiah's vision in the coming of Jesus and the expansion of its redemptive effects beyond the Jewish community to the Gentile world as well.

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