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Ash Wednesday - B

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

There is an old fairy... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2008
There is an old fairy tale about a poor shoemaker with only enough money to buy the leather for one
In the midst of drought... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2008
In the midst of drought, famine, and starvation, the prophet Joel calls us to fast and turn toward G
Karl Barth once said: Look... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2003
Karl Barth once said: "Look at the face of a criminal and you will see what God sees when he looks a
A small Presbyterian college in... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2003
A small Presbyterian college in the Midwest received a letter from an attorney telling them that a g
Executives who travel a lot... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2003
Executives who travel a lot and want to cheat on a spouse, but can't find a convention to attend so
Frithjof Meidell, a Norwegian immigrant... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2003
Frithjof Meidell, a Norwegian immigrant who sought his fortune in the California Gold Rush, found a
The recent international crisis with... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2003
The recent international crisis with Iraq has involved United Nations weapons inspectors.
When I was growing up... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2003
When I was growing up, I was very proud to be a member of "The Clean Plate Club." I'm sure my mother
Everyone likes a story in... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2003
Everyone likes a story in which people change places.
Paul considered himself a servant... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2003
Paul considered himself a servant of Christ and, consequently, cared nothing for recognitions and ti
Former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder is... -- Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2003
Former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder is an example of how repentance, which means "turning around," ca
Humility never comes easily, especially... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2000
Humility never comes easily, especially for those with a lot to lose.
A cowboy rode into town... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2000
A cowboy rode into town and stopped at the saloon for a drink.
Religious faith is not only... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2000
Religious faith is not only a private matter.
Nearly everyone had loved Jane... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2000
Nearly everyone had loved Jane.
Ambassadors in the Roman Empire... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2000
Ambassadors in the Roman Empire were understood to be the personal representatives of the Emperor hi
An old fable tells of... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2000
An old fable tells of Jesus stepping into human history to be born in Bethlehem.
It is almost a crime... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2000
It is almost a crime against Christ, the tendency to narrow the meaning of the biblical word "salvat
If you are like most... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2000
If you are like most people, every once in a while you get a piece of mail that tells you that you h
An old adage says: What... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 1997
An old adage says: "What you don`t know won`t hurt you.
William Jennings Bryan was not... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 1997
William Jennings Bryan was not exactly the religious bigot that he was pictured to be in accounts o
Catherine Marshall tells the story... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 1997
Catherine Marshall tells the story of what their family decided to do one fall day.
The need to practice one... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 1997
The need to practice one`s piety publicly suggests a need for pompous display (no doubt masking one`
Do as I say, not... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 1997
"Do as I say, not as I do is an often quoted humorous response given by parents when caught in cont
During my university days I... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 1997
During my university days I recall a conversation I had with a fellow student who used to ride the s

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New & Featured This Week

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John Jamison
Object: I had the youngest children in the group participate. When I came to the part of the story where Jesus asked the little children to come to him, I had the youngest come and sit closest to me. If you think it is possible with your group, when you ask how little children act when they receive a gift, actually ask your youngest children what they think the answer is. Do the same with the older children when you ask about how older people act.

* * *

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Katy Stenta
For October 6, 2024:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
I heard a sad story today about a pastor whose church essentially had to close as a result of a scandal surrounding his associate. The pastor himself knew nothing about his associate’s behavior, he was as blindsided by it as the rest of the church family was. But it led to such disruption and division in the church, that they shuttered their doors. And now, a friend told me, that innocent pastor is looking for a new ministry, but he carries with him this black mark that he doesn’t deserve.
Bill Thomas
Bonnie Bates
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Job 1:1; 2:1-10

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels.  But someone has testified somewhere, ‘What are humans that you are mindful of them or mortals that you care for them? You have made them for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honor’ (vv. 5-7)

Angels are popular in American culture.

SermonStudio

Christopher Keating
Copied on the front of the bulletin were verses from Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem, “Charged with Grandeur.” A globe was placed on a table near the front, emphasizing human’s place in the world. Video footage from NASA accompanied the sermon in order to reinforce how we are called to claim our vocation as stewards of creation. Images of an old car and glimpses of the Earth from space were also used as visuals.
Robert G. Beckstrand
Vindicate me, O LORD,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
Prove me, O LORD, and try me,
test my heart and mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.
-- Psalm 26:1-3

Theme: A pledge of, and a plea for, loyalty

Outline
1-3 -- He pleads for God to give recognition to his integrity and single-hearted devotion.
4-8 -- Evidence of this is in his past conduct and his present joy in worship.
Wesley T. Runk
Object: a clock

Mark Ellingsen
Theme of the Day
Reflections on the love of God.

Collect of the Day
Addressing the sovereign God who created us to live in loving community, petitions are raised by the faithful to be formed in faith to trust like children and so reflect Christ's image. Justification and Sanctification are again emphasized.

Psalm of the Day
Psalm 26
* A prayer for deliverance from personal enemies; a lament traditionally attributed to David.
Donna E. Schaper
We find Job on the edge of town, his money gone, his children dead, picking at his innumerable sores and scabs. In the Joni Mitchell version of his sorrow, Job speaks of how the children of the wicked frisk like deer while his are dead and gone. In her version, we are also told that Job sees the diggers waiting, leaning on their spades, at the site of his grave. Job's three friends, Eliphas, Bildad, and Zophar show up to comfort him but they do so in a way that only pours iodine on his wounds. God is just, they say, therefore, Job must have done something wrong.
John R. Brokhoff
Robert W. Stackel
When William Jennings Bryan went to the father of the young woman whom he loved to ask her hand in marriage, he remembered that the father was a strong religious believer, so he quoted a proverb of Solomon from the Bible: "He who finds a wife finds a good thing." But the father surprised him by responding with a quote from St.
William G. Carter
We have a problem today. Here we are, gathered at worship as the household of God. Through baptism we belong to a worldwide community of faith. Each time we gather, we have an opportunity to pray together and recommit ourselves to peace. Now that we are here, we have to deal with a troublesome and potentially divisive text from the Gospel of Mark. Some Pharisees put Jesus to the test by asking him what he thought about divorce. His response, in turn, has always put a peace-loving church to the test.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus said, "What God has joined together, let no one separate." In our service today, let us consider our responsibilities to the whole of creation.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, we have not always cared about our environment.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, we have not always taken our responsibilities to animals seriously.
Christ, have mercy.

Special Occasion

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