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Acts of consecration

Commentary
Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - B
Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44
Psalm 127
While one of our daughters was serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, she was often accosted for not being married. After some initial embarrassment and fumbling at how to respond in her adopted culture, she finally came up with a reasonably satisfying answer. She was not married, she told her neighbors, because her father had set too high a bride price and no one was able to pay it!

In one of our lectionary readings today a high bride price is at the heart of the story. Whoever wished to gain the property of Elimelech and restore it to his widow, Naomi,
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Proper 14 | OT 19 | Pent 10
25 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
31 – Children's Sermons / Resources
19 – Worship Resources
22 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Proper 15 | OT 20 | Pent 11
24 – Sermons
140+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
22 – Worship Resources
19 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Proper 16 | OT 21 | Pent 12
23 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
35 – Children's Sermons / Resources
23 – Worship Resources
22 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Proper 17 | OT 22 | Pent 13
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120+ – Illustrations / Stories
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New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Ron Love
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Bethany Peerbolte
For August 9, 2020:
  • Bending Toward Justice by Dean Feldmeyer — The story of Joseph illustrates that while God does not always act in bold and dramatic ways, and the arc of the moral universe may be long it, nevertheless, bends toward justice. A pertinent message for us, today.

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
Luke stared at the stack of papers sitting in front of him. The last thing he wanted to do was close the Good Shepherd Ministry. He dreaded having to put out the press release saying that they were out of money and were no longer able to minister to the street people in the city. He knew that as soon as word got out all the people they had helped and the people in need would come looking for answers. He didn’t know what he was going to say to them. Truthfully, he didn’t know what to say.

“Hey neighbour,” Fran put a cup of coffee in front of him.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer

Refocus

Once when Henrik Ibsen, the Norwegian playwright, was traveling in Rome, he noticed a crowd of people gathered around a large red poster. They were talking rather excitedly among themselves about the message it announced, so he reached into his coat pocket for his eyeglasses. Only then did he realize that he’d left them back at his hotel.

So he turned to the fellow next to him. “Sir,” he said, “could you please tell me what that sign says? I’ve forgotten my glasses.”
Mark Ellingsen
Ron Love
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Martin Luther was a Roman Catholic monk who considered that the Church of Rome was corrupt. On October 31, 1517, he posted his famous 95 theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg, inviting a debate on the issues that concerned him. This led to the German Reformation, or better known to us as the Protestant Reformation.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
After he had been deep in prayer, Jesus was able to walk on the sea. In our worship today, let explore the relationship between prayer and God's response to us.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I dismiss prayer as not working, yet I know I've never really prayed as you prayed.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I can't believe in miracles, yet I know I've never really prayed as you prayed.
Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

John E. Sumwalt
The call came on a Sunday after church just as we were sitting down to lunch. "Eric's vital signs are dropping. We think this may be it. You'd better come." It was the Palliative Care Nurse, one of the dozens of hospital and hospice staff people who supported Eric and his family over the five years he lived with bone cancer. She met me as I came in the door of the hospice where Eric had lived for five months -- a much longer stay than most of their patients who usually died within weeks.

CSSPlus

Good morning, boys and girls. Do you know what a hard-boiled egg is? (Let them answer.) I brought two eggs with me this morning. One is hard-boiled. When I crack its shell I can eat it. The other is not hard-boiled. It's like Humpty-Dumpty. When I crack it, it will break. Sometimes your parents may give you a hard-boiled egg for lunch. When they do, you trust them that it is really hard-boiled. Your parents wouldn't give you an egg like Humpty-Dumpty, would they?

It is very important that you can trust your parents. When you

Special Occasion