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Get it straight -- get it right

Commentary
Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - C
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Luke 9:51-62
One of the echoes reverberating through a young child's mind (and an adult's memory) is that of Mother supervising the ordeal of getting dressed. "Straighten that tie; tuck in your blouse; you can't wear that; pull up your trousers!" For some it is a daily drill -- whether for school, going to the store or just out to play. Others only have to bear it for special occasions, such as a wedding or funeral or Christmas Eve. In our outward appearance, we are taught to get it straight, get it right. The reasons range from "That's the way it should be" to "That's how we want people to see us."
UPCOMING WEEKS
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Proper 28 | OT 33 | Pentecost 23
30 – Sermons
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4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

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The Immediate Word

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For November 16, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
Another natural disaster has flattened a number of coastal communities. Despite the weather and major television station warnings, and government disaster preparations, the dystopian destruction nightmare of Luke 21 has decimated another community. Also, it is reasonable to believe that this is not the last year for hurricanes, Tsunami’s, wild fires, mudslides and tornados. They will occur again. However as weary citizens are interviewed in one group of people with the background of homes in rubble and streets still draining flood waters, they will not leave. This is their home.
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Isaiah 65:17-25 and Isaiah 12

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“The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. (v. 25)

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* * *

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

The Church of Christ

Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

The local community

Those who suffer

The communion of saints


These responses may be used:


Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

SermonStudio

Stephen P. McCutchan
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
-- Isaiah 12:3

John W. Clarke
No reading of Luke is complete without coming to realize that Luke is concerned that the world understands that Jesus is the hope of the world and that any teaching that leads away from that fact is a false teaching. No matter what, no matter when, Jesus will be there to give us life.

Scott Suskovic
Whoever does not work should not eat!
-- 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NLT)

Wow! Kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it? Not a lot of ambiguity in that rule. "You don't work, you don't eat." For a religion based on grace, it seems a bit unyielding.

Mark Ellingson
Freedom is such a lovely word, a compelling image. What is freedom? How would you define it? What does it mean to you? Webster's New World Dictionary defines freedom as being exempt from control or from arbitrary restrictions. Freedom is said to be the ability to choose or determine one's own actions.

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